Choices and Consequences
by Soumi97
Summary: Faced yet again with a life altering choice, they must make a decision. And live with it's consequences.
1. Letting Go

**A quick 'need to know' before getting started...**

 **The beginning of this chapter may strike as a bit inaccurate to almost everyone. So allow me to clarify. In this story Ross, Phoebe and Joey have come to drop Rachel off at the Newark Airport** **, unlike the actual finale. Chandler and Monica are still at the hospital, waiting for their 'baby' to be born. The rest remains the same!** **Actually no... it doesn't.** **Well...** **That's all!**

 **1\. Letting Go**

 _'Sometimes things don't happen the way you want them to because you just haven't tried hard enough. Unbeknownst to you, a last push may be all that you need_.

 _Sometimes it's because you keep making the wrong choices, yet choose to blame the circumstances over and over again._

 _While_ _sometimes... it is life's way of making you realise that it's simply not meant to be. Not now and not ever.'_

* * *

Phoebe's cab swerved violently to the side as she performed yet another reckless overtake.

"Slow down, Phoebe!" exclaimed Joey. "We still have a lot of time!"

"But I'm barely crossing 40!" she exclaimed, feigning innocence and pointing a finger at the speedometer which was indeed stuck there.

"That's not been working for ages and you know it!" Joey replied, not at all fooled.

"I don't see Ross panicking! And he chickens out first." she said in defence.

Joey frowned in agreement.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, he is being weird. I mean he has less than an hour to convince her to stay and he's barely even talking to her." he continued, looking somewhat troubled.

Phoebe turned back to look at Ross and Rachel who were indeed gazing out of their windows, not making any apparent eye contact. Though the glass prevented the passage of any soft conversation (Phoebe wanted to spy on them, but Joey convinced her that they deserved some privacy and shut the glass.) it was obvious that they weren't making a sound. Joey is right, she thought. That is weird. For the couple had not objected being cut-off from Phoebe and Joey by the glass.

"Look at the road, for God's sake!" Joey screamed, desperately clinging to the dashboard as the cab yet again lurched threateningly.

"Oh, relax!" Phoebe said, smirking as she took hold of the steering and regained control on her cab.

As they drew closer to the airport, Phoebe couldn't help but get more and more worried about her friends. She had expected that she would be asked to turn around, a request which she would've been only too happy to oblige. What was going on in the back? Why wasn't Ross confessing his love for her? Or he had, and things had taken a turn for the worse? Whatever it was, Phoebe had a feeling that it wasn't right.

* * *

For the first time in his life Ross was indifferent to his fear of high speeds. Normally, he would've had a panic attack by now and would be begging Phoebe to slow down. Not today though. Today, his mind was preoccupied by someone else, the speed barely registering. Memories were flooding his mind. Though they spanned a period of more than two decades, they were about a single person. Rachel Karen Green.

Right from their childhood until the conversation they had that very morning, his mind visualised the best and the worst of everything. He knew he loved her. He had known it all along, but had been blinded by his own thoughts into believing the contrary. And hence today he was determined to confess his eternal love for her, once and for all.

Yet here he was, several hours later, not to mention having spent the last half in the back seat of a cab where it had been just the two of them. Why couldn't he do it? Because when the euphoria of his epiphany had passed, his brain had begun reasoning with his decision. It had been given time to think, and to his dismay he was grudgingly agreeing with the counter-argument it presented.

To begin with, he knew she was prepared to let go of him in order to get her dream job. Her statement of a 'perfect goobye' earlier today couldn't have made it more clearer that they were not in the same place. Plus, he remembered her reaction at the prospect of a job in Paris. The joy on her face, the excitement in her eyes. Would it be fair if he whisked it away from her? Or made her feel guilty about her choice by declaring his love? As if to answer his questions, his mind led him to a specific memory. The memory of Rachel wishing him 'congratulations' before his and Emily's wedding. Her look overflowing with mixed emotions. He got it now. She was hurt because she realised that she had probably lost him forever. Yet, the happiness of seeing him get what he wanted won over. He had always doubted that Rachel had come all the way to London just to wish him congratulations. He was almost sure that there was more to the story. Had she come to confess her love as well?

He had a strong feeling that she had a change of mind. She had let him go because she had seen him being really happy. Should he do the same? Sacrifice his feelings for her happiness? His mind was unable to draw a conclusion and found itself leaving the decision until the last possible moment.

* * *

Casting a sideways glance at Ross, Rachel smiled to herself. They had been silent ever since the cab had set off, only glancing and smiling reassuringly at each other whenever they caught each other's eye, which was often. It was a comfortable silence and though their time together was extremely limited, none felt the need to start a conversation. What would they possibly talk about, when they had had ten years together for saying all they could've to each other? Or may be not. May be there was something very important left unsaid.

"Hey Rach?"

"Yeah?" Rachel asked, a bit startled to be pulled out from her reverie.

"You okay? Your face seems paler." Ross said, looking at her with concern.

Rachel smiled, touched as she always was by how he noticed these little things about her.

"Just nervous, you know. I mean it's Paris! I'm finally going to the city of my dreams... " she trailed off, while Ross just smiled at her, understanding.

Yet, she said to herself. Yet she wasn't sure whether she wanted it. The situation reminded her of a similar phase in her life more than 7 years ago. When she had to make a choice between giving time to her career and her relationship with Ross. She had chosen her career. And she had been successful. Very much so. Yet not a day had passed by without her thinking what if she had chosen giving more time to Ross? Could they have been a happy family by now? She shook her head as a million 'What if's' crossed her mind.

Sighing, she thought of the current cross road she was on. Career or the chance of having a family? Yet again, she was choosing her career. Was she making the right call?

Both Ross and Rachel were violently jolted into the present as Phoebe brought the cab to an abrupt halt at the Kiss and fly parking lot. Joey had grabbed his seat in anticipation and hence was minimally shaken. Getting out, they realised they had 15 minutes to say their goodbyes one last time. 15 minutes. And Ross was still undecided.

Though there had been a goodbye party yesterday, it was suddenly feeling much more real now. They could only look at each other, half smiling and half crying as they did so.

"Goodbye you guys, I'm gonna miss you so much!" said Rachel, hugging all three of them into one large group hug. They stayed like that for what seemed like ages, words seemingly unnecessary. Phoebe and Joey kept stealing glances at Ross, who had eyes for nobody else but Rachel.

"Well... I guess I should get going you know... Don't wanna miss the flight!" Rachel said after a while, failing miserably in exuding humour in her words. "And hey! Let me know as soon as Monica and Chandler have their baby, okay? Text me if I'm still on board. I want all the details as soon as I land! "

"Sure thing, Rach." Joey said, eyes still partly towards Ross.

Even then, Rachel still found herself unable to move. Finally Phoebe spoke, looking conspirationaly at Joey before doing so.

"And you be sure to let us know as soon as you get to your apartment and everything's settled, Rach."

Joey stared wide-eyed at Phoebe, unable to believe his ears. Wasn't stopping her from going a part of their plan? Phoebe studiously ignored him and swiftly stole a look at Ross, gauging his reaction at her words. Rachel missed the exchange as Phoebe's words had been enough to bring back the spark of enthusiasm in her eyes.

"Definitely. Oh, I'm going to have my own place! In Paris!" she said, excitement obvious on her face.

"Good for you, Rach! " Joey joined in, finally getting her cue. No reaction came from Ross's side, who suddenly seemed to find the floor very interesting.

Small talk grew even more difficult as they knew only too well that these were the last few moments they were going to share for a long time. Soon, they were being ordered to take the cab out of the lot.

"I think I should go." said Rachel, forcing herself to turn around after taking a deep breath. She had just walked a few steps when Phoebe suddenly shouted, in desperation.

"Ross, don't you want to tell something to her? " she asked, her eyes looking beseechingly at him.

" What is it, Ross?" Rachel asked turning back, her look expectant, hopeful even.

Ross, who had been looking at the floor for the past few minutes forced himself to look into her eyes .

And that was when he realised what he had to do. He had to be strong and put his foot down. He had to let her have a chance at being happy without him. May be this was how it was meant to be. And if not... then may be she would say _'Ross'_ at the altar. He chuckled inwardly at the thought, but instantly sobered when he realised his mind actually was hoping for something like that. A sign that she was still _'in love'_ with him. Because that was what was more important. He couldn't make her stay in New York just because of him. Or guilt her by into so because of how he felt. Little did he know how wrong he was on both fronts.

"Ross?"

Few seconds had passed by in the meanwhile and Rachel still stood there, her face a mixture of fondness and confusion, the latter steadily increasing with each passing moment.

"Best of luck Rach. " he said, forcing himself to smile. His eyes met her gaze even more intensely, refusing to look away.

" Thank you!" She replied, hugging him one last time. Though she was smiling outwardly, she seemed a bit let down. Had she expected something else? Something more?

Ross continued looking at her as she passed through the glass doors and grew smaller in the distance. Phoebe and Joey were speechless. They didn't understand what had just happened or why. A final look backward, a wave of her hand and she was gone.

Eventually the trio got back in the car, shoulders slumped. Phoebe and Joey looked sad, but Ross's face was devoid of any expression whatsoever.

"Why didn't you tell her, Ross?" Phoebe asked as she put her cab into gear.

It was a while before Ross answered, as he was not really paying attention to anything around him. Finally he let out a sigh and said,

"I... I let her go."

 **I know that there are a lot of stories out there with the Paris scenario, yet I couldn't help writing my own version. Ross might appear as a bit out of character, but that's on purpose. I've always liked it when Ross did something selfless (and mostly for Rachel) so I couldn't help but wonder that this could've been possible.** **Not to mention that Rachel wishing Ross congratulations was a very painful yet perhaps one of the sweetest RR moment of the show.**


	2. One week later

**2.** **One week later.**

"So Mon told me to hold Erica like that... " Chandler said, sounding cheerful as he narrated one of the first experiences of his life as a father. It had been a week since the twins were born and according to Chandler was the busiest week anybody on this planet could've ever had. What with having twins instead of a single kid and moving into the new house almost simultaneously, perhaps he was right.

For some strange reason, even Phoebe and Joey had not been able to make it to the Central Perk even once in the last week. Joey said that he was hunting for a new agent, now that Estelle had passed away. Weird, he thought. Joey had always prioritised his time for his friends and had never been so serious about his career. While Phoebe claimed that she and Mike were now trying to have kids. Should that take up ALL of her free time? Guessing Phoebe, perhaps! Ross shuddered involuntarily at that thought.

May be they were giving him some space Ross mused as his mind yet again zoned out Chandler's speech. That was very unusual of their usually 'invasive' nature ( not in a bad way though). But he was glad. He had needed it. A week had given him plenty of time to try to regain interest in the mundane things which were a part of his daily life. And to atleast try to lose interest in those that weren't. Even then, he found himself admonishing his subconscious for distracting him for what seemed like the hundredth time in the day.

"Focus! " Ross whispered to himself, almost inaudibly. It was a little too late though, as Chandler had just stopped speaking and was apparently waiting for him to speak.

"Ross?" Chandler asked puzzled by the lack of any sound at the other end.

"Huh?" was all he could say.

"I just told you that we are having a housewarming party tomorrow evening. Man, I got a better reaction from that old lady at the other end of our lane!" Chandler said laughing although his voice failed to hide the concern he felt.

Ross took a moment to respond.

"Oh. That's great!" he uttered, finally finding his voice back.

Both were silent for a moment, waiting for the other to say something.

"So?" Chandler finally asked.

"So?" Ross replied, confused.

"You'll be coming right?" Chandler asked, surprised at himself that he actually meant it as a question and was apprehensive of the answer.

"Tomorrow evening... " Ross spoke slowly, hunting for a excuse, whilst running through his schedule for the next day. To his annoyance, he found out that he left early and had way too much time to make it to Westchester. But today's conversation only proved that he wasn't exactly ready. He still needed time to pretend that he was completely alright. He had absolutely no intention of making a fool of himself like he had the last time when he had freaked out over Joey and Rachel kissing each other. Gladly, he found that he had a made-up excuse at hand.

" I'm so sorry Chandler I won't be there. I have this event in the university with a leading historian coming all the way from London. I simply cannot miss the opportunity of meeting him."

"Oh! I see." Chandler said, taken aback but choosing to believe Ross.

"Well then, what about a Knicks game next week? Joey's been badgering me for ages and luckily Mon has a single morning shift that day, so I'm off diaper duty after four!"

Next week? That would give him more time. Plus it would be just the guys. So no deep questions. And even then, once the game started they would talk about nothing else. Sure, he thought to himself.

"Yeah!" he replied, trying to be enthusiastic about it. "I'm in!"

Before he could say anything else, he heard his sister's voice calling out for Chandler. Ross let out a chuckle, feeling a bit sorry for him.

"Gotta go! Bye!" Chandler said, ending the call in a hurry.

As Ross kept the receiver back in it's place, he got a feeling that Monica would not be convinced. He knew that staying in his home tomorrow would not be an option. He had to plan something to do tomorrow. Something other than work, taking care of his daughter or his daily routine. He hadn't even thought of doing anything else since the past seven days.

* * *

Rachel frowned at the take away she had taken from the restaurant which was closest to her apartment. The smell coming from the food wasn't exactly appetising for her, but she decided that she would make do. It was still a million times better than the disaster she had 'created' while trying to cook her own meal last evening. The challenges of living alone were only just beginning to dawn on her.

Ever since childhood, she had never actually had to fend for herself. Before running away from Long Island, it had been her parents and Barry. Then it had been her friends. She had always relied on either Monica or Phoebe or Ross for home-cooked meals. With Joey it had been either raiding Monica's kitchen or the takeaways he brought.

That was why she found herself helpless when she entered the restaurant. Her 'less than average' French only added insult to the injury. Finally, her co-worker had to come to her rescue.

Regardless, she was glad and kind of proud of herself that she made through her first week. Work had actually been much easier than she had expected. All the same, however it had demanded her full dedication. Now, with the promise that only a weekend could bring along, she had enough time on her hands to focus her attention on the stuff she had missed on.

She visibly relaxed on seeing the familiar street of her building. Walking as fast as her heels would allow, she entered her building in a couple of minutes. She had been pleased on finding out that her apartment was only a couple of miles away from work. It was a nice two bedroom place, with modern interiors and decent furnishing. As of now however, it failed to feel like home. Maybe the weekend would change things, she thought.

On entering, the first thing she reminded herself was that she had to find a maid. She was no good at such stuff, which was obvious on casting a brief look around the place. Keeping the take away on the table (having had to move a few things in the process), she turned towards the landline to check for messages. She had two messages waiting. The first one instantly caused a wave of guilt to wash over her face. Monica's chirpy tone reminded her that she had not contacted her after that one time she had called her friends and family on the day of her arrival in Paris.

She freshened and changed into comfortable clothes, all the while listening to Monica go on and on about her twins and preparations of their housewarming party. A tear slid down her face as she was suddenly reminded of the things which she was going to miss out. It was just beginning to dawn on to her that she was no longer a part of their daily lives. Her tear strained face split into a smile when Chandler apparently snatched the phone from her to finally get a turn to speak. Apparently though, Monica was not done as Chandler barely had time to speak hello before she was back. She could just imagine Monica elbowing Chandler out of the way and let out a laugh at that thought. Rachel's body, which was slumped over the sofa, suddenly tensed on hearing her last few words.

 _'Listen.. I really wanted to talk to you about Ross. He sounded kind of put out yesterday and he's also not coming to our party. Some University stuff he claimed... Honestly, he has been like that since you left. He won't say anything but I know he misses you a lot. Just let me know, I'm a bit worried about him. Call me as soon as you get this alright? Love you.'_

Rachel barely heard the next message as her brain re-ran through Monica's words. He did sound alright the last time she had heard him, but the fact that the time difference coupled with their work mostly restricted them to messaging wasn't helping. She glanced at her watch and figured that it would be early evening in New York. He would most likely be at work, but she decided that she would try calling him all the same.

* * *

He was pathetic. Really, really pathetic, he thought to himself as he revised the events that had taken place earlier that day.

Around midday, Ross finally thought of a place where he could spend time in the evening. He decided that it was about time he had visited Ben at Carol and Susan's. Firstly he thought of calling and forewarning them before hand. But later he decided that a surprise would be better. Now however, he knew that calling would've been the better option.

He reached their apartment earlier than expected, and was pretty happy about it. However, the smile on his face faltered when he saw the smouldering expression on Carol's face.

"Where were you two days ago?" she demanded.

"I.. uhh.. I was at work, then at my home...you know... the usual. Why do you ask?" Ross replied, confused by the hostility of her stare.

"You don't know?!" she demanded, now looking at him with suspicion.

Ross still looked as perplexed as earlier.

Finally, Carol let out an exasperated sigh and explained.

"It was his birthday, Ross! Where the hell were you?! Even Monica and Chandler called in to say they were sorry that they couldn't come to the party because of their kids and moving and stuff! Ben was really disappointed by your absence. He kept hoping you'll come to surprise him even after his party was over!"

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry! I'll make it up to him, I promise. I'll buy him that remote controlled helicopter that he wants and we'll have a blast at the mall... " Ross spoke frantically, shocked with himself that he had forgotten an event as important as his son's birthday.

"You really aren't up to date, are you? " Carol said, her gaze somewhat softening as she backed into the house, allowing Ross to enter.

Only now did Ross realise that Carol was dressed up for a special occasion and that there was no one else in the house.

" He is no longer that much into remote controlled vehicles, Ross." Carol continued, answering her own question.

"Just over a month ago, he joined the football team of his school. And he loves it. He's been all for sports accessories ever since."

A month. Around the time when Rachel declared that she was offered a job in Paris and his whole world turned upside down. No wonder he wasn't 'updated'. He hadn't updated anything since then.

"Oh. Is that where he is now?"

"Yeah. Susan has gone to pick him up. We will directly meet her at Monica and Chandler's."

"W...What?" Ross stuttered.

How could he have been such an idiot?! Of course Monica had invited Carol and Susan to the housewarming. Not to mention that both were yet to meet the twins. The cordial relationship between them ensured that they always stayed in touch. How did he overlook that?!

"Don't tell me you forgot that too!" Carol exclaimed, even more surprised than before.

"I didn't forget" he replied after a while.

" Aren't you coming then?... Wait a second. Were you here simply to avoid going to Monica and Chandler's?!"

Ross's guilty expression immediately proved Carol's suspicion.

"And here I was thinking that you finally wanted to see your own child!" she exclaimed, angry yet again.

"It's not that simple, Carol" Ross murmured, unable to explain further. Carol finally gave him a small consoling smile as she rubbed his arm to comfort him.

" Ross, I know what's been going on in your life and that's why I'm not totally upset with your sudden ignorance towards Ben. Monica told me everything on Ben's birthday when I asked her what the hell was going on. I was too mad at you to even call you personally." she clarified, when she saw Ross's expression.

"It appears like you had a choice and you took a decision, Ross. You simply can't deny that or shun everyone forever. "

"I know. But I need some more time. I can't face their questions or the pitiful looks right now." Ross replied.

Carol nodded slowly, understanding. But she couldn't stop herself froto ask him one last time.

"You really won't be coming? You will get to see Ben. He surely misses you, although I think he might be a bit upset about you not making it to the party." she asked, even though she felt she knew his response beforehand.

Ross took a deep breath, contemplating.

"I'll come back tomorrow. I'm sorry. I can't do this right now."

Carol shrugged nonchalantly and headed towards the door, followed closely by Ross. They exited the apartment and Carol locked it securely behind her.

"Carol, could you do me a favour?" Ross asked, as they descended the stairs.

Carol looked at him in expectation.

"I'm supposed to be in a panel discussion in the university right now, so could you please keep this within ourselves?"

"Sure. If that's what you want." she replied, not exactly happy by his choice.

"Thanks."

And that was how he had found himself, sitting on the sofa and sifting through the TV channels for the eighth night in a row. The only difference was that today there was the added guilt of being a terrible father to both of his kids.

He glanced over at his daughter, who was sleeping peacefully in her crib. He surely was going to miss her a lot.They had agreed that she couldn't stay without her mother, and her bawling in the past week only proved the point. Now he swore that he won't lose Ben, no matter what. He would make sure that he was there for him, at least from now on.

Yet again, Ross found himself tempted to find solace by intoxicating himself with the wine in his cupboard. But he knew that it was his weakness. Not only did it fail in burying his sorrows, but it also made him extremely liable to antics which he would regret his whole life. Antics which had only driven 'her' away from him, whether it be his kissing Chloe, his drunken marriage or his embarrassing babbling in the spirit of Joey and Rachel as a couple. No. Not anymore. She was happy to be away from him and he wasn't going to be the one to snatch it away from her by making a drunken phone call.

As if in answer, his phone rang at that precise moment.

* * *

Rachel woke up with a start from the sofa. It took her a minute to understand why the hell was she sleeping in her living room. Then slowly, as the sleep wore off, she remembered that she had tried calling Ross in vain and had decided to call him a bit after midnight, when he would finally be home in accordance with the New York time. She glanced at her watch. 5:45, it proclaimed. She had slept through the night. No wonder she was so stiff.

As she freshened and got herself a cup of coffee, she remembered the reason why she had tried to call him urgently in the first place. Something was wrong with him, Monica said. Rachel decided that she had to find out as soon as possible, and despite it being almost midnight there, she picked up the phone and was determined to atleast leave a message this time.

* * *

Ross stated at the machine as it rang, debating with himself whether to pick it up or let the machine take over. He was doubtful that he could manage to keep his emotions in control in a live conversation. He knew it was inevitable though. Emma would always get wound up on hearing her voice and it was about time she had a proper conversation with her. Or as proper as an almost two year old child could have. For now, he used Emma's deep sleep as an advantage and decided that it could wait. At least till tomorrow. He would need the night to prepare himself not to let his guard down.

Finally, the machine beeped asking Rachel to leave a message. Which she did promptly.

' _Hey Ross! This is me. You were right when you said that French was never really my strength. I'm having a hard time here because of that!'_

Ross's heart which elated a bit on hearing that, deflated immediately on hearing her next words.

' _But the job is really great. I'm loving it! And tomorrow I'm finally going to have time on my hands to explore Paris!'_

Dang it! Even now, why did he allow himself to hope?! She. Was. Loving. Her job. How difficult was that to remember?!

' _By the way, you should really tell me some good French dishes. I ordered one taking the advice of Paul and it really is making me feel queasy. Anyways, how's Emma? Tell her that Mommy misses her a lot. And we should try talking live to each other. This messaging is getting on my nerves now.'_

After a short pause, she continued.

'So, _Monica left me a message updating me with every detail of their new life. And my God, the twins sound so cute! I'm feeling like I should just catch the next flight to New York and have those two in my arms as soon as I can!'_

Luckily, this time Ross was prepared.

' _Who am I kidding though? Flights every week will cost me more than my salary. I'll be bankrupt in no time!'_

Did she have any idea how bad her casual references to the physical distance between them hurt? Probably not.

' _Anyways, Monica told me that they were having a housewarming party today... '_

Rachel's tone, which was light and cheerful, suddenly became somewhat tensed and cautious, giving Ross the feeling that this was the main reason she had tried calling him.

' _And she told me that errmm.. that you had some stuff at the University. She didn't sound happy. Ross, I don't know what is happening, but will you please be honest with me? What's going on? Phoebe and Joey also avoid mentioning you as much as possible and when I ask whether you guys meet, they always distract me with some other topic. And I don't want to sound accusing, but the time difference really isn't that big an issue that we can't manage an actual conversation. I've had a proper talk with all the rest, including my parents. Have you been avoiding it on purpose? I'm getting worried. Monica also said that you were not yourself since I left.'_

Rachel suddenly paused and let out a sigh, as though controlling her emotions, which was apparently annoyance at him.

 _'Talk to me tomorrow alright? No messaging. I want to talk to Emma as well. Goodnight. I love you.'_

Not in that sense and not enough, Ross said to himself as the machine clicked, indicating the end of the message. He just sat there and let the deep silence of the night return. The TV was still on, displaying a documentary of the Jurassic Era to his surprise, as he had been shifting the channels passively. For once, he wasn't even remotely interested. Switching it off, he got up from the sofa and stared into the distance, still thinking over her words. One thing was clear to him. He wasn't putting on a good show. He had to do better. For him, for his friends, for his children. And most importantly, for _her._


	3. Acclimatisation

**Hey guys!**

 **Firstly, I would like to thank you all for your response. It does make my day!**

 **Secondly, I am glad with the patience you have had with this story. Trust me when I say that things will get more interesting from the next chapter.**

 **I've received a review asking for Rachel's POV more often. Well, the main reason I'm focusing more on Ross is because he's the one who's suffering more. I promise a greater insight into Rachel's mind from Chapter 5 onwards, as by then she will finally realise what she's been missing! :)**

 **So let's get started...**

 **3.** **Acclimatisation**

"Boy am I glad that we bought front row seats to today's game! Was totally worth it!" Joey exclaimed in triumph at the end of the game in which Rangers had indeed won by a huge margin.

"We? We?! " demanded Chandler, as he had been the one to buy tickets for all the three.

" Fine! Fine. But I suggested this game." Joey said, raising his hands up in surrender. "Jeez, I'll pay you back if you are going to be all touchy about it."

"Nah, consider it my treat for being a Dad for 10 days and still having not dropped my kids even once." Chandler said, sounding proud of himself.

"Good for you, Chandler. " Ross said, smiling.

Joey and Chandler raised their eyebrows in surprise. That was the first time he had talked without being asked, or about something other than the game.

"Thanks man." he replied smiling, after which he stared hesitantly as though he was worried that he was crossing a line.

"Errm I.. " he trailed looking closely for Ross's expression.

"What? Why are you freaking out?" Ross asked chuckling, though he realised why he was hesitating and cursed himself for it.

"I.. I mean Monica was wondering if you know.. you could make it to our place this Saturday seeing that you missed out on the party last week. She misses you, but the twins don't let her get away from them."

The words came out of his mouth in a rush, so it was actually a bit difficult to decipher the individual words.

"Sure. I too want to meet my nephew and niece. I do miss hanging out like we used to." Ross replied, the words causing him to cringe internally as he was reminded of the fact that they could NEVER hang out the way they used to.

Chandler and Joey felt the heaviness that followed and were at a loss of words themselves.

"Hey, you guys wanna grab some dinner?" Ross asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Monica's already made dinner." Chandler said looking apologetic.

"That's where I'm headed too" Joey said in the same manner.

"Mind if I join you?" Ross asked, deciding to end all these pitiful exchanges today. He wanted to show them that he was completely okay with her being gone. And today seemed as good as any other day.

"No. Not at all!" Chandler replied although the shock he felt was obvious on his face.

"Alright. Let's go then." Ross said after a while, raising his eyebrows in amusement at his frozen expression.

* * *

As days slowly passed into weeks, Ross slowly got used to living his life without Rachel. Though he still avoided direct questions about her (which were few and far in between), he was doing really well. The only person he hadn't manage to convince was Monica. She always looked at him with suspicion. So far, he had always arranged his visits in a way that made sure that she never got a chance to actually 'talk' to him. He felt a bit ashamed of using his own daughter or his niece and nephew as a shield, but it did work. He knew she was worried about him, and would interrogate him worser than a person in police custody. And would perhaps get the truth out of him. He wondered if it would be easier if he just revealed his true reasons for letting Rachel go and that how hurt he actually was by her absence. Nah. That would have led to even more questions and pity.

He didn't know what he had hoped for. Nope. That was a flat lie. He knew exactly what he had hoped for. In fact he had a whole list prepared, which went as follows :-

Scenario 1. Somehow her plane would get cancelled or grounded. (A ridiculous thing which would hardly change her plans).

:- He had to put a cross on it when Rachel messaged him of her very timely arrival in Paris.

Scenario 2. Her position would be already filled (The first time Rachel called him, he had actually thought that was the case, because she had called much sooner than he had expected. Turned out, the company had actually taken care of everything with precision and she didn't have to worry about anything at all. Great!).

:- So that went down the drain by the end of Day 1.

Scenario 3. Eventually he had allowed himself to think that she wouldn't be happy there. Or would suddenly realise that she couldn't be happy without him. (He had crossed his fingers on that one after hearing her semi-negative messages in the first week.)

But things had only gotten better, and now even the last of his hopes were blurring in the distance. Not to mention the burning guilt he felt for hoping all of it in the first place. The only thing which was positive in all this was that she seemed to be happy.

Yet, he failed every time he tried to put a cross on that one.

* * *

"Thank you Claire, that'll be all" Rachel instructed her maid, who had just finished cleaning the living room. Rachel was glad that she had finally found a maid who was perfectly fluent in English and also did her job well. Though she was taking French 'lessons' from her colleagues, she could still barely establish a proper conversation. And that too didn't extend beyond a list of formal questions.

Other than that, her life had just started to 'settle in'. She had managed to get to her apartment without getting lost for five days in a row. (She didn't count the couple of times she had taken an extremely long diversion) Also she had found out a perfectly fine restaurant which had all of her favourites. After almost a month of acclimatising, Rachel finally felt ready to accept the responsibility of another person. Her daughter, Emma.

Rachel wondered how Ross would react when he would finally have to let his daughter go. She agreed that it didn't seem fair, but it was inevitable. May be she would stay with him over the vacations... She winced at those thoughts and wondered why she hadn't even considered how this whole thing with Emma was going to work out. To make things easier for her, Ross knew that Emma would primarily be with her but not since when.

Well, she might as well find it out, she thought as she began dialing Ross's number.

Rachel was surprised at how fast the call was received. It was almost as though he had been expecting her call.

"Hello?" she asked, after hearing nothing but undecipherable whispering for a while.

"Momma?" came a small high pitched voice. That explained the whispering. Ross wanted Emma to greet her. How sweet, she thought.

"Hello sweetie! Yeah it's your momma!" she replied, full of love for her child.

"I miss you." came Emma's voice. Though words sounded cute, the tone of sadness in it could've moved mountains.

"Oh... " was all Rachel managed, before her voice suddenly broke as she was unable to believe the words which came from her daughter's mouth. The sound that followed seemed to be a streak of sobs of mixed feelings of happiness and pride at her daughter, coupled with the anguish of not seeing her for almost a whole month.

"You heard that, Ross?!" she asked, foolishly. Of course he had.

"Yeah" Ross said, smiling as he held his daughter in his hands and bend a bit to speak on the phone, which was currently on speaker mode. "She started joining words a few days after you left, although this is the only sentence which makes complete sense." the pride obvious in his voice as well.

Rachel beamed on hearing that and eagerly, she continued.

"I miss you too honey. Momma will see you very soon. Okay?"

"Okay" Emma replied, looking at the device with confusion. Although she still didn't understand how a phone worked, she would always head towards it when it rang, often disappointed when Ross won't let her talk. Or when it wasn't Rachel.

"Very soon?" Ross asked, suddenly alarmed. After Rachel had requested for a conversation, Ross had slowly shifted to talking on the phone. It had been easier than what he had expected. Her physical absence obviously meant zero eye contact or exchange of facial expressions. Which made a pretense that much easier.

"Ross, I really miss her and it seems I'm already out of the loop from her recent developments. I would have tried coming myself, but the workload here is making me work on Saturdays so I might as well forget any extra holidays. And I know you will be on vacation from next week. Could you please come here for at least a couple of days?"

So much for being honest, he thought. Why did he have to tell her about his leave?! She hadn't even asked about it!

"Please? I really miss you as well. Paris isn't much fun to roam about alone. I'll give you a tour, we'll have fun. I haven't seen you guys in so long!"

You guys... That brought him back in the category of 'Friends'. He didn't know if he could trust himself with actually meeting her. And roaming Paris with her. The perfect romantic destination. A place where he once had planned a honeymoon with her. But just as friends. Friends who had chosen different lives. Could life _be_ any more cruel?

"Please?" Ross could just imagine her puppy dog look as she said the word. He had never exactly said no to that look.

"Alright. I'll inform you with the flight details tomorrow. The coming weekend will work out for you right?" he replied, resigned.

"Yeah. That would be perfect."

As Ross put down the receiver, he felt that he had no choice but to put a cross on hope no. 3. And he finally did.

* * *

"Hey guys!" Ross said, not too happily as he greeted the gang at Monica and Chandler's home, or rather kitchen to be specific. They had all agreed to meet for dinner at least once every week and today was one of such days.

"Hey Ross!" they greeted in response. Ross was apparently the last to come which was unusual as he mostly made it a point to be punctual.

"He looks bummed out. I wonder why?" whispered Phoebe as he went back into the living room to keep his coat. Joey nodded in agreement. Monica pursed her lips, but before she could say anything, Chandler entered the kitchen, followed shortly by Ross.

"So, what's up Ross?" Monica asked, intending it to be something more than a conversation starter.

The answer which she got was certainly not what she could have expected.

"Nothing much. Unless you count me leaving for Paris !" Ross said, smiling a bit at himself for having dropped it so casually.

The reaction was immediate. Monica dropped her fork, Chandler and Phoebe had their mouths slightly agape, while Joey had stopped chewing food mid-bite, which had to be some kind of record for him.

"P..Paris? As in Paris - Paris?" Monica asked.

"Yes! How many 'Paris' do you know?" he replied, smirking.

"The Paris where Rachel is right now, Paris?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah!" Ross said, wondering why was it taking so long to make his friends understand.

"When do you leave?" asked Chandler.

"Tomorrow evening. Rach told me that this weekend would suit her best, so.. " Ross's speech was interrupted by the sound of Phoebe's fork hitting the floor, as she gaped and covered her mouth with her hands in exclamation.

"What?" Ross asked, surprised.

"You said Rach! You called Rachel 'Rach'! " she almost shouted. The expressions of the rest of the group made it clear that they too had not missed it.

"So?" Ross bit his tongue as he said this, as he suddenly realised that for the past month he had purposefully avoided calling Rachel affectionately as Rach as he had been afraid that it would somehow make him more vulnerable. What he had not known was that his friends had been alert enough to notice it.

"What does this mean?! Are you finally going to convince her to come back?! Or are you gonna stay in Paris yourself?! Or.. " Phoebe let her imagination run wild, excited by the prospect.

" Pheebs! Pheebs! What are you talking about?! I'm going to Paris so that Emma gets to stay with her mother for a while. That's it! I'm gonna drop her off and come back. " Ross answered before Phoebe could say anything more.

"That's it?" she asked, her eyes even more wider than before.

"Yeah! I mean, of course I'll stay there for a couple of days first!" Ross replied. His feeble attempt at joke however failed spectacularly.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room, as though everyone wanted to say something but couldn't quite bring themselves to.

"And what about you and Rachel?" Monica finally asked the question which had been haunting her for the past few weeks.

"What about us?" Ross replied, slightly wincing as he said 'us'. "We are going to keep in touch, obviously." he stated further. Though his voice was remarkably stable, his body language hinted that he was close to losing it.

The 'keep in touch' was aimed to let others feel that he was unaffected by the current scenario. The effect however had been exactly opposite as he had ended up hugely overcompensating. Ross realised that he was now treading on thin ice.

"You are going to 'KEEP IN TOUCH ?!' Ross, you've have a kid with her, you obviously still love her, and you tell me you are going to keep in touch?!" Monica exclaimed, "For God's sake Ross for once will you stop lying to yourself and..."

Ross lost it.

"AND WHAT?! Go and make an absolute fool of myself as I tell her that I love her and hear only awkward silence in exchange? Or make myself believe that she would give up the best opportunity her whole life has offered her for me? Or guilt her into so by begging for it? I've heard her and she's happy, alright?! She's happy and I'm not going to be the one who snatches it all away from her just because I can't imagine living my life without her. That's my problem and I'll handle it. " Ross exploded as every bit of restraint he had been holding back for the past month came loose and his facade crashed down. His eyes had a brazen look of challenge which nobody dared return, not even Monica.

" Now if you'll excuse me I have some packing to do for me and my daughter. " he said, and stormed out of the kitchen without looking back.

The temperature in the kitchen had dropped by what seemed like a hundred degrees. Everyone was dumbstruck by Ross's confession. Monica put her head in hands and looked at the table, the gravity of her brother's behaviour finally settling in. Phoebe and Joey looked like they had just seen someone die. Chandler in the meanwhile had bent down to pick up the fallen forks (Ross's fell down when he suddenly stood up and burst into flames) and came up with his brand of coping with such situations. Humour.

"Boy, we sure dropped a lot of forks today!"

Nobody returned his smile.

* * *

'You guys? You guys?!' Rachel wondered what had made her add the word 'guys'. Of course she missed Ross much more than anyone else, the only exception being her daughter. Why did she ramble out 'guys' then? To convince him to come? And how did that make her feel if it did convince him? Happy? Certainly not.

She had not been blind (or deaf, if it was meant in a literal sense). Of all the people she had been contact with, it had been Ross who had let out the least of his emotions. Her talks with Monica had been filled with 'I miss you's' and tended to end with a 'love you'. A similar trend followed on a lesser scale with the rest of her friends. But with Ross it usually ended up with 'I'll call you tomorrows' and stuff. Or a detectable pause before her 'I love you' received a similar response. She was yet to listen to a 'I miss you'. As 'Emma misses you a lot' was the usual response. What did that mean? Did he really love her the least amongst her friends? Or was it the exact opposite?

A sudden surge of hope ran through her when she thought of that possibility.

* * *

"Are you going to be alright?" Phoebe asked, as they stood in the parking lot of the airport for the second time in a month.

Ross had regretted lashing out like he had the moment he had set foot outside their home. He had feared that they might tell Rachel and then everything which he had been building for a month would get reduced to dust. So far, they had chosen to not say anything as had been obvious by Rachel's call a few hours before. It was only then that he finally responded to Phoebe's message offering him a ride to the airport. When she came to his apartment, her look was filled with apprehension and regret. Ross felt somewhat ashamed at having made her look like that and gave her a small smile, which she immediately returned. The conversation there on had been purposefully crafted so as to completely ignore what had happened yesterday. Until now.

"I guess so... I'm really gonna miss her." Ross said.

"Oh! Me too!" she replied, as she caressed and gently kissed Emma, who smiled at her.

"Say bye to Aunt Pheebs." he said in a baby voice.

"Bye." she said, waving her hand as well.

Phoebe responded with enthusiasm, and got a little teary. Ross thought he had been successful in distracting her, but that was before she turned back to him.

"That was not what I meant, Ross." she said, gently and still a little intimidated by his previous outburst.

Ross let out a sigh.

"I know. And I'm scared. I mean what if I'm not able to let her go this time? What if it's too much for me?" he asked, being strangely grateful that he could finally speak his mind. Yesterday had made sure of that.

"Ross, it doesn't have to be like this. I think she still loves you too, she just doesn't.. " Phoebe said, desperate to try to argue with him.

"Pheebs. We've been through this." Ross replied, a little sternly. Phoebe gave up.

"If you really love her, then yes. You'll be able to do this for her. It'll be like ripping off a bandage. Its gonna sting you bad for a while, but then maybe it won't hurt anymore." she said softly, although she highly suspected that it would be that easy.

"You think so?" he asked, a bit hopefully. Phoebe could only offer him a consoling bear hug in response. As he made his way inside the terminal, Phoebe was left standing alone, wishing with all her might that the past couple of months had never happened.

"I hope so." she whispered, as the image of two lobsters separating their claws filled her mind.

 **Regarding updates...**

 **I'm sorry, but currently once every two weeks is the best that I can manage. I mean I can update faster for now but soon you'll have to face a long wait and I really don't want you guys to hate me if that happens.**

 **Au revoir! :)**


	4. Paris

**There you go! :)**

 **4\. Paris**

 _'Welcome to Charles de Gaulle airport. Passengers...'_

The announcement rang through the Terminal as Ross slowly made his way through the crowd. Even after sleeping for most of the duration of the flight, he still felt deprived of relaxation. One of the reasons why he had caved into coming to Paris was because he had been pretty confident that facing her head on, all settled in her new life would give him closure. And that he was ready to go through that 'process'. But the restless squirming in the plane had only proved the contrary. As he was thinking this, Emma stirred in his arms. Oh, right. This time he had to let go of his daughter as well. Excellent.

"Ross! Ross! Over here! Over here!" a voice was heard faintly over the throng. That had been enough to set Emma off. But as her eyes finally found her mother's, her emotions made a complete somersault. She began jumping in Ross's arms, desperate to reach out. By then, Ross had spotted Rachel as well, and he was slightly taken aback by her attire. Rachel was dressed like an elite business executive, complete with a stylish yet formal jacket. Ross let out an involuntary whistle. Boy, did she look even more attractive. If such a thing were even possible, that is.

Emma was now in a state of full blown tantrum. As soon as they got close enough, she was switched into Rachel's arms. Rachel smothered her daughter with kisses every where she could, as both cried with tears of joy at the happy reunion. As much as Ross wanted to hug Rachel himself, he restrained from doing so. But he didn't have to wait for long, as he soon found himself locked in her embrace.

"Oh I've missed you so much Ross!" she said, holding him closely.

"Me too, Rach." he replied.

 _'You have no idea'_ he whispered to himself as Rachel gently disengaged herself and they turned towards the exit.

Talking about getting closure, Ross had already smelled her hair. It was the same old coconutty aroma he remembered only too well.

* * *

"Oh yeah?!" Rachel asked incredulous as they headed towards the city. Rachel's company had been kind enough to offer them a pick up service at the airport, thus relieving them of the hassle of getting a cab.

"Yeah! All by herself!" Ross answered, beaming as he did so. To his surprise, things were going pretty smoothly. They had quickly settled in to their friendly banter, which had focused mostly on Emma and their friends. Well, that was until Rachel asked the million dollar question.

"So how have you been?" she asked, out of the blue. Though the question had been asked in a casual manner, there was undeniably a serious undertone to the words.

"I've been... fine." he answered, thanking his lucky stars that this time 'fine' hadn't come out all high and squeaky. His abruptly tensed posture, however, had been sort of a give away.

"I mean, come on Rach! We've been talking almost daily, so there's nothing much you don't already know." he continued, defending himself and pretending that he had found the question formal and humorous.

"I'm not so sure about that." she replied, passing a somewhat inquisitive look, to which Ross simply patted his knee in nervousness.

Time seemed to drag on as each waited for the other to say something. Just as Rachel was about to pursue the topic, their car stopped as they finally arrived at Rachel's apartment. Ross couldn't have been more grateful at the timing.

* * *

"Did a hurricane just strike here?!" Ross asked, as he passed a look around the living room.

"Shut up!" Rachel replied, smacking his shoulder in an amicable manner. "The maid has been on leave for a couple of days. She'll be back by Monday."

"Just a couple, huh?" Ross asked, to which Rachel simply rolled her eyes.

"Alright. So what's the plan for today?" he asked, as he made himself comfortable on the couch and Rachel busied herself with making coffee.

"Well, today I think may be we should..." Rachel was interrupted by a call on her cell phone.

"Hello? Yeah, that's me." she answered. After a couple of nods in response to the other end, she suddenly seemed agitated.

"What?! ... But?..." her expressions changed from annoyance to resignation as she finally answered with an okay as she ended the call. She walked over to the couch and held her head in her hands in disappointment. Seeing her distress, Ross immediately sat down next to her and comforted her by putting one arm around her shoulder while the other gently caressed her hand. Even now, this came to him as a reflex, and Rachel seemed to relax a bit in response.

"Who was it?" he asked, concerned.

"Work." she replied, finally turning to look at him. "An urgent meeting turned up and I simply have to be there. Also, there's some fiasco in the marketing department which might take the whole day to clean up!"

On one hand, Ross was indeed disappointed that his already limited time with Rachel was getting cut short even more. On the other, Rachel was feeling guilty enough that he didn't have the heart to make it worse by saying so.

"That's okay, Rach. I didn't sleep well in the flight, so I would've been like a zombie today anyways!" he said, smiling to make light of the current situation. Not that he was lying though.

"Really? I can make some arrangements to get the work done by mid day..." she said, but her voice made it clear that it was highly unlikely.

"Don't worry, Rach." Ross said, smiling understandingly.

Rachel smiled and gave him an apology hug as she stood up and grabbed her keys from the table.

"Hey, are you not even waiting for breakfast?" Ross asked, slight alarmed to se her leaving immediately.

"Not enough time. My damned assistant called me at the last moment." Rachel replied, just as she was closing the door to her apartment.

* * *

Ross's sleep was disturbed by the voice of his daughter in the living room. Rubbing the sleep off his eyes, he quickly made way towards her and comforted her the best he could. She had barely gotten over her mother's absence this morning, and now with Rachel not in sight, it was even more aggravated. Well, she won't have to worry about her mother's disappearance any more, he thought as she gradually quietened. It was now noon time and he was ravenous. But one glance at the kitchen told him that he would have to do something else before he could cook. And that was shopping for groceries.

He was considering simply getting a takeaway from a nearby restaurant when an idea struck him. He could not only fix lunch for himself, but also prepare dinner for them. He thought it was about time that Rachel had a healthy home cooked meal. (The pile of takeaway boxes had been enough of a clue) Besides, he knew that it would make her happy. And he usually didn't say no to things which did so.

Thanks to his shaky yet decipherable French, he located a store within a few minutes. There, he shopped for items that he thought an average kitchen should have, smirking as he did so because even after a month, her kitchen barely had anything more than salt, pepper and a coffee maker.

After satisfying his and Emma's hunger, he also came up with the prospect of making the apartment less of a mess. Being Monica's brother, cleaning stuff was in his blood as well, albeit to a lesser degree. Plus that also gave him something to do rather than sitting all day. He had considered visiting the Louvre alone, but given up deciding that he would enjoy it more if he had company.

He was unwillingly impressed by the apartment leased to Rachel. It was simple, yet elegant. He himself would surely not give up such a place, he thought sighing as he did so. He managed to make the place look decent at around 5, when he decided that he needed a bath. On opening the bathroom, he let out a chuckle. There would be no need to shop for bathroom stuff at least. Rachel was prepared.

* * *

Rachel looked up at her apartment, and a fresh wave of guilt washed over her. Why did the marketing guys had to find this day to mess things up? The day which she was supposed to spend happily with her daughter and her best friend had turned out to be yet another exhausting day of workload. Now she had just this evening and the next day with Ross. She had to make the best of it, she thought to herself as she climbed up the stairs, a fancy bottle of champagne in hand.

On opening the door to her apartment, the first thought which came to her mind was that she had entered the wrong place. For one it was clean and for another, it had the mouth watering smell of lasagne. She stepped back and checked the number. It was indeed her apartment.

" Bienvenue Madame " Ross greeted her with an unsuccessful attempt at a French accent.

Rachel turned to look at him, still in a state of shock.

"What? I thought you would like this." he continued, now feeling a bit unsure about his surprise.

"Like it?!" Rachel finally uttered. "Oh my God! I love it!" she squealed with happiness and hugged him tightly. Ross relaxed as he got the reaction he had been expecting.

"What made you do this?" she asked, still glancing around and taking it all in.

"I don't know. I just wanted to give you a nice surprise. You were feeling pretty let down in the morning, so I thought I'd make the evening special." he answered honestly.

Rachel's eyes filled with adoration as she managed a 'Thank you', her voice too thick to speak further. Ross smiled in response and suddenly they found themselves locking eyes with each other. The moment was brief though, as Emma came running out of the bedroom and clung to Rachel yet again. Ross smiled at the scene, and was relieving Rachel of her purse when he the Champagne bottle which she had brought.

"Champagne, huh?" Ross asked, pointing at it.

"It wasn't just you who wanted to make the evening special." she said, smiling. "I also bought candles. Although I was going to order food, so I must say you beat me to it."

Ross suddenly found the room grow too warm and stuffy.

"Candles... really? Isn't that supposed to be.. like... errrm... romantic?"

"Not necessarily. Just to make it special, you know. Like a moment." she replied, her eyebrows rising to form a crease.

'Balloons are special' Ross thought in his mind. "I really don't think that's a good idea with a toddler around." he said, glad to have found a perfect reason to avoid making things 'romantic'.

"Oh Yeah! You're right. We can't risk it!" she exclaimed, annoyed with herself to not have thought about that sooner.

As they set the table, the expression 'Phew!' ran through Ross's mind.

* * *

"So... I guess I'll sleep in the living room."

Once all the dishes were done and Emma neatly brushed and tucked in, Ross decided it was about time they discussed their sleeping arrangements. Rachel's apartment had a queen sized bed in one bedroom, while the other was at present empty but later would be occupied by a small bed for Emma.

"Don't be silly Ross, you are sleeping in the bedroom with me." she admonished.

"I..." Ross trailed, remembering the last time they shared a bed.

"Oh come on Ross! Did you honestly think that I'd let you sleep in that lousy sofa?!" she exclaimed.

When Ross didn't reply, she continued "What kind of person do you think I am to do that, especially after you've been so sweet to me today?!"

Ross badly wanted to explain it to her that, that wasn't the reason, but couldn't find a suitable way to say it. So instead of hurting her feelings, he simply backed off, thanking her and prepared himself for bed.

As he lay awake, (courtesy of the jet lag) he couldn't help but criticise his current scenario. He had prepared himself for distancing himself from her, yet somehow ended up sharing a bed with her in less than 24 hours of being together. Exactly how difficult it was going to be to say goodbye once more, he had no idea. He had yet again managed to make himself even more vulnerable.

He had been pretty convinced when Phoebe had told him that his visit to Paris would be liking ripping of a bandage. It would sting at first, but only momentarily. And then there would be peace. Now, he had a feeling that this bandage would leave open a bleeding wound.

* * *

"Okay... So we've got the Louvre.." Rachel said, her nose almost touching the page which had a list of the 'must see' places in Paris, as she held it against her face. After a filling breakfast of pancakes and toast and marmalade, they found themselves sitting on the sofa, and all ready to set off to roam the city together.

"The Louvre!" Ross exclaimed in delight. "We have to go there first, Rach!"

"It's just a museum!" Rachel said, disappointed not only because he was choosing it but also because she had not been allowed the chance to rattle out the remainder of her list.

"Just a museum?!" Ross sounded personally offended as he said so. "It's the largest museum of the world. For me it's ... it's like how Paris has been to you."

Rachel saw the look of passion in his eyes and her argument instantly melted. "Fine. But after that, we go shopping!" she said as though daring Ross to disagree.

"Sure, Rach!" he said, chuckling at her expression.

* * *

"Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Islamic, Near Eastern... Aha!" Rachel exclaimed in triumph as she glanced through various collections which the Louvre held.

"What?" Ross asked, confused.

"There are no dinosaurs in Louvre!" she said, as though she had just won a bet.

"And that's a reason to be happy because...?" Ross asked, even more perplexed than before.

"Oh Ross, you know how you get when there are fossils around! All geeky and studious..." Rachel trailed as she remembered tons of occasions when she had tried to tune Ross off droning about his academic interests.

"Well Rach, sure dinosaurs or rather Paleontology is my area of expertise, but all in all I love history as a subject. You'll be surprised by my knowledge on the medieval European art." Ross answered, smug.

Rachel didn't look that happy anymore.

* * *

"So this particular sculpture by Michelangelo..." Ross said, as he yet again stopped at a beautiful piece belonging to the Renaissance period of European history. For the past few hours, Ross had kept an almost continuous stream of commentary, as they passed through the various halls and corridors of the museum. Rachel had not stopped him once, and her face had changed from astonishment to respect at his knowledge. But soon she had grown uncomfortable, not because she found Ross's speech boring, but because of the ever increasing crowd of tourists who were following their every step. She felt like she was some kind of celebrity, and to her surprise it was not a welcome feeling.

"Excuse me?" a person suddenly asked from the back of the crowd.

Ross turned his head to face the crowd, his expression making it clear that he hadn't even noticed the crowd surrounding him in the first place.

"Yes?" he replied, confused.

"Could you please repeat what you just said? I'm sorry I didn't catch the last sentence."

Ross was even more taken aback. He once more cast a look around the busload of people surrounding him, before looking back at him. The guy who had just asked him appeared to be a mix between a tourist and a historian, and it seemed like he had been writing down everything he said. A doctorate student perhaps.

"You have been taking notes?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Errr... Yeah!" the guy answered, confused.

"Sorry, but I'm not the right person. I do have a doctorate in Paleontology, but when it comes to other aspects of history, I'm not an expert. I'm just another enthusiastic tourist." Ross explained, looking a bit embarrased as he did so.

"Oh. I thought you were the curator or something, giving a private tour to your wife." he replied looking somewhat apologetic yet surprised.

Ross blushed more on the wife part of the sentence than the curator.

"Wrong on both counts, man." he replied, smiling.

The guy smiled and turned to leave, just as the rest of the crowd did so, their faces a mixture of surprise and disappointment.

"Hang on!" Ross exclaimed, approaching him before he could disappear.

"Yes?" he asked, turning back and looking confused.

"Did you really think of me as a curator?" Ross asked, not knowing why he wanted to know the answer.

"Not exactly..." he replied, blushing a bit as he did so. "You seemed as though you belonged here. Like, with authority and familiarity. So I was pretty convinced." he said, shrugging.

"Hmm." was all Ross could respond, intrigued.

"Have a good day, Sir." the guy said only half-mocking as they shook hands.

"Good day to you as well." Ross replied, his mind now swirling with possibilities.

* * *

"So, where are we heading now?" Ross asked as they finally made their way out of the museum some time after noon. After the crowd had dissipated, Ross had asked Rachel whether they should visit other places, seeing that they had already been in the museum for hours. Rachel happily agreed to the same. Truth be told, Ross had really not wanted to leave the museum, but the casual statement made by an unknown guy had suddenly made the Louvre emotionally draining. So he had marched out of the place, thinking that a change of scenery would drown all the thoughts springing into his mind right now.

"Errrm... to Place de la Concorde and from there on to Champs - Elysees." Rachel replied, as she hailed a cab for the same.

"I have heard of Champs - Elysees. What's exactly over there?" Ross asked once they were comfortably seated in the back of the cab.

Now, it was Rachel's turn to look smug.

"That my friend, is my Louvre." she replied, with an air of superiority.

* * *

"The day is about to get over and we've barely seen a couple of places!" Rachel wailed, yet again going through her list as they were currently having a late lunch at one of the cafés on Champs - Elysees.

"You honestly weren't thinking that we would be able to see all of those places in a single day right? I mean we could've but where's the fun in rushing from one place to another without actually appreciating it?" Ross stated.

"Well... actually... we would've had two days if it hadn't been for me." said Rachel, in a low voice and lowered her head with a saddened expression.

"Hey... hey Rach" Ross said, moving to take Rachel's hand from across the table. "It's okay, it doesn't matter."

"Really?" Rachel asked, looking up from the table with a hopeful expression.

"We are having fun, aren't we?"

They were having fun. Rachel hadn't thought so, but as it turned out, she did have a good time back at the museum. She had always liked it whenever Ross was passionate about his job and had felt quite proud of him when people had mistaken him as the curator or a museum staff as he fluently described the various collections of the Louvre. His formal attire indeed seemed to emphasise the same. Not to mention that they were attentively listening to every word he said.

Champs - Elysees had undoubtedly been 'her type' of fun. Ross initially had been skeptic at the idea of window shopping through few of the most expensive shops in the world. But later he realised that it also meant that he didn't have to worry about either 'clearing' their bank balances or carrying around tons of shopping bags. Rachel had expertly guided him through an exquisite perfume boutique, followed by another boasting an extravagant collection of watches. Needless to say that various clothing and accessory shops were paid a visit.

But Rachel's promise of 'window shopping' was broken when they reached the Disney store. Both Ross and Rachel made absolute fools of themselves as they ran around, picking up whichever toy or dress they thought their little princess deserved. Subconsciously, each recollected the first time they had shopped... or for a better description effectively emptied the baby store back in New York. As Ross carried the cart towards the billing counter, he had barely been able to keep a check on his emotions not knowing when next would he shop for his daughter.

"Yeah. We are having fun."

"Then that's what matters, Rach." Ross replied, smiling.

* * *

They reached the Eiffel Tower barely in time so as to appreciate it's beauty during the day. Though the lights provided an amazing night time experience, they had agreed that the view during the day had a charm of it's own. After a quick photo shoot, they raced up the Tower through the elevators and reached the topmost viewing gallery slightly out of breath. The view of course was exhilarating. The city could be seen sprawling in all directions, everything made miniscule by the height of the gallery.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" asked Rachel as they clung to the railing and soaked in their surroundings.

"Yeah." he said, turning to look at her. The setting sun was casting a warm orangish glow on everything it fell. Rachel's face was no exception.

"Not as much as you." he couldn't help but whisper the words as they came out quite spontaneously. Their eyes met, and an unknown force seemed to gradually bring their faces closer to each other. The move was as slow yet as graceful as the sun approaching the horizon. Ross suddenly realised that this was how he had fantasised his honeymoon. Taking Rachel to her dream city. Kissing as the sun set atop one of the most cliché yet one of the most romantic places in the world. A change appeared in their facial expressions. They were no longer smiling or casual, instead they were now intense and passionate. Their lips could've been barely an inch apart when suddenly Emma exclaimed in joy.

The reality of the situation crashed down on both of them. Rachel blushed a deep red as she turned towards her child, who was pointing at a solitary star, now visible high up in the sky. As Ross followed suit, the irony of the sun disappearing down the horizon wasn't lost on him, his lips splitting into a sad smile.

* * *

"Le Jules Verne? Seriously?!" asked Rachel, surprised that they were going to have dinner at a restaurant atop the Eiffel Tower.

"Why not?" Ross replied.

"It's pretty expensive, Ross."

Rachel's statement momentarily put Ross on back foot. Since when did Rachel Green start budgeting?!

"I know. But how many times are we gonna do this anyways Rach? Come on, it's my treat." he said, smiling.

"Wow! This is like the perfect ending to the perfect day! Thank you!" Rachel beamed as she said this.

"My pleasure, Rach. After you." he said, allowing her to lead the way into the restaurant. They chose a family table and Ross went overboard in persuading Rachel to have her favourites, regardless of the cost. What Rachel did not know was that this had also been in the itinerary of Ross's dream honeymoon.

By the time they left the restaurant, there was not a single person in there who would've doubted that they were not a perfectly happy family.

* * *

Night time really didn't seem like a good time to Ross anymore. Because it was a time when a person was left alone with his or her own thoughts. And the added time difference between New York and Paris only added insult to injury.

He really didn't know what he would make of his visit to Paris. The last couple of days had probably been the best days he had had in a long time. The last time he remembered being so happy was when Emma was born. And the time before that was when they had been dating. But this all had been a fantasy, right? Or...

 _'You seemed as though you belonged here'_

Ross doubted whether he would ever forget that person. And it was not just him. Even in New York people had often mistaken them as a family. To his surprise, Paris had been no different. But did he belong there? Sure he loved art history, but that was a mere shadow in comparison with his passion for Paleontology. Yet again, the Louvre was like a paradise for a historian like him. But that was not why he would consider moving to France...

His stream of thoughts was cut short by an image. An image identical to his current position, but with the only exception of it being a happily ever after and not just a one time thing. So what if it was not Scarsdale? Did it really matter where it was as long as it was with _her_?

Ross glanced across the bed to see a peacefully breathing Rachel. The moonlight illuminated one side of her body and made her appear even more ethereal. He sighed as the realisation dawned on to him. Though he had come here to remove the bandage, he had somehow ended up supergluing it. As Ross was halfway through turning to his side of the bed, he heard her voice.

"Hey" she said, sounding wide awake, suggesting that she too was having trouble falling asleep. Ross turned back to find her smiling tenderly at him.

"Hey" he replied, returning the smile, surprised to find her still awake.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked, genuinely curious.

There was something in her look which made Ross lower his guard for the first time in a month.

" _Our_ future."

 **Alright, I'll be honest. The information/travelogue and a feeble attempt at French is all a product of haphazard Google-ing. I've never actually been to Paris (though I certainly look forward to it someday), nor have I ever had French as a subject. So please forgive me if you find any inaccuracy/ obvious mistake. It was purely unintentional if so.**


	5. The Turning Point

**5\. The Turning Point**

 _"Uhh... I feel like I'm about to explode!" she said, massaging her stomach which was painfully distended with the dinner._

 _He chuckled, gazing fondly at her._

 _"It's your fault! You really shouldn't have made me eat so much dessert!" she said, pointing a finger accusingly at him._

 _"Oh, really?! And pray what did I do to make you do that?" he asked, amused._

 _"Said that it looked good." she replied, blushing at her lame defence._

 _Just as he was about to comment, the maitre d' came to their table, with an apologetic expression on his face._

 _"Madame, Monsieur, I'm really sorry to interrupt, but we have another family waiting outside with a reservation scheduled in five minutes. If you are done with the food and the billing, might I please ask you to vacate the table? I'm really sorry for the inconvenience."_

 _"Oh, it's alright! We were about to leave anyways." he said, smiling and standing up._

 _"Thank you for your co-operation, sir." the maitre d' said, smiling in gratitude before walking away from their table._

 _She was still sitting._

 _"C'mon Rach. We gotta go."_

 _"Looks like you'll have to carry me home. I can't move." she said, lazily offering her hand for the same._

 _"Sweetie, I would've. But I'm afraid that I would break my back due to all the extra weight you've gained by the dessert." he said, mocking._

 _"Alright. That's enough! No more jokes on my eating habits!" she said, standing up, a look of self righteousness on her face._

 _He chuckled as he gently picked up Emma, who had drifted off to sleep only moments before._ _She helped him with the bags and together they strode out of the restaurant, their hands entwined and her head resting comfortably on his shoulder._

 _As they descended the tower and slowly made their way out to the street, she lazily thought about the day._ _It_ _had seemed so perfect that it simply had to be a dream. All the while their smallest of the interactions had seemed scripted even though they had been completely natural. Like the simple act of making Emma eat some of the food. With him holding Emma and her putting small snippets in her mouth. The innocent brushing of their fingers as they did this. The blushing when it came to their notice. The smoothly flowing conversation over a sumptuous meal and exquisite wine. The laughing at each other's jokes. The adorable gestures. There had been no outward show of either romance or awkwardness. Yet as they say, in it's simplicity lied it's true beauty._

 _"Rach?"_

 _"Hmm?" she asked, disoriented. Only then did she realise that she had fallen asleep on his shoulder in the cab._

 _"We are home."_

 _They walked up the stairs to her apartment and as they did, she realised that she did not want the dream to end._

 _"Care for a nightcap?" she asked, once they were in._

 _"I don't think so. You are so zonked out. Let's get some sleep. Besides, we have to get up very early tomorrow."_

 _"Huh. Why?" she asked, surprised._

 _He looked closely at her, wondering whether it was exhaustion which was making her forget the obvious. Deciding that it was, he continued._

 _"My flight is scheduled to depart at 10 in the morning, Rach. Remember?"_

 _The statement had the same effect on her as happened with dreams which ended dramatically and aroused the person from their sleep. All of a sudden, her warm drowsiness was washed by the impact of cold reality._

 _She had been right all along. It had all been a dream. A dream which she never wanted to end._

* * *

" _Our_ future?"

Rachel was a bit surprised on hearing the way he had said the words and a bit of panic was obvious in her tone.

"Well... yeah! I mean, like how are we gonna handle Emma's custody? And who will come where.. how long... you know.. all that stuff." Ross replied swiftly, his mask back.

"Oh!... Oh!... You mean... Yeah!" Rachel's heartbeat, which had escalated only moments ago, quickly returned to it's usual rhythm. She suddenly found herself cursing for the way her words had come out earlier. God, he had come so close, she thought. She had been no fool. She knew that he was still hiding something.

But he hadn't been completely successful. There had been moments. Moments like the one just seconds ago, where she had seen hints of _her_ Ross. The Ross who had loved her unconditionally for the one year they had been truly together, the happiest year of her existence. Like their almost kiss at the Eiffel Tower. It had been an involuntary reaction, right? Like 'living in the moment'?... Yet, Rachel could've sworn she saw the 'in love' glint in his eyes. And had seen the same mirrored in her reflection. What did it mean?

"Ross?" she asked, in a low voice so as to not wake Emma and in case he had fallen asleep, Ross.

"Hmm?" came his voice. He was gently stroking Emma's hair, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Thank you. " said Rachel.

"For what?" Ross asked, having stopped the stroking and looking quizzically at her.

"For the past two days, Ross. Thank you. It was really amazing. " Rachel clarified, sincerity flowing through her voice.

" Don't be ridiculous Rach. You need not thank me. The pleasure was all mine." Ross replied, smiling. Time seemed to have come to a halt as they smiled and gazed into each other's eyes, absorbing each other's expressions the best they could in the moonlight. Eventually, they turned on their backs to face the ceiling.

"Ross?" Rachel called after a while.

"Hmm?" Ross asked yet again.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked, sounding sincere.

"Sure." Ross replied, nonplussed.

"What do you see when you think about our future?" she asked, genuinely curious.

To her surprise, Ross let out a chuckle.

"Are you sure you want me to answer that?" he asked, smiling.

"Yeah. Why?" Rachel replied, confused.

" 'Cuz the last time I checked, you were not a big fan of me telling you about it."

" Wha...?" was all she managed, before she was reminded of the first and perhaps the only time they had seriously discussed _their_ future. After hearing her entire life planned out, she had completely freaked out and there on they had agreed to not pursue the topic anytime soon. Although they had also agreed that they would end up together eventually.

"That was a LONG time ago, Ross." she said, surprised that he would still recall that memory that fast.

"I know." he replied, his smile seeming more like a grimace this time.

"I promise not to freak out this time." she said, smiling.

Ross took a measured pause as he contemplated his response. Truth be told, all he wanted to do was to describe her that very image of them being that happy family in Paris. Yet conscience warned him that it's consequences could be disastrous if she or rather they didn't handle it well. So he chose a compromise. He ended up telling her his thoughts until right BEFORE that image had struck him.

"I... honestly... I don't know, Rach. I mean, it's all... obscure." he said.

"Obscure?" Rachel asked, understanding yet wanting him to elaborate.

"Yeah. I mean look at it my way, Rach. Life was so simple for me fifteen years ago. I had just been engaged to Carol and I thought that was it. And that the picture would only become clearer as time passed. But as it turned out, life simply doesn't follow a path just because you think it would. And now I'm in a phase where I just cannot figure it out. Boy, if you would've told me this back then, I sure as hell would never have believed you." he said, letting out a sigh of self pity.

He didn't know why the hell was he talking about stuff which Rachel already knew. All he felt was a need to get some of the thoughts out of his mind and today they simply seemed to flow out quite naturally.

Rachel took his hand in hers and rubbed it with her other the best she could, which was a difficult task seeing that Emma parted the two. She let a crooked smile and spoke with a tone of mischief.

"C'mon! It hasn't been that bad!"

Ross couldn't help but smile at that.

"Yeah, I know that several great things have come out of the deal... (He purposely avoided the specifics)... but that was not what I meant... " he trailed.

"I guess I understand because you know how it was kinda the opposite for me. I just had the future all planned out for me. Marrying a rich person... living like the 'spoiled bitch' forever. " said Rachel, air tagging the words, snorting as she did so.

" You would've aced that." Ross said in order to mock her. Rachel rose to the bait.

"What?!" she shouted, and then immediately stopped as she realised it was the middle of the night. Ross shushed her but that was unnecessary. Both tensed and looked at their daughter for any signs of arousal. Luckily, she was still asleep. Both heaved a sigh of relief and exchanged the typical 'parent' smile.

" I just didn't want something which seemed so... final. With no hopes of change. Well.. you know the rest. And just when I was thinking that I could shape out my own self, you came along, planning everything for me yet again." she continued, purposefully making light of the subject.

"I know and I'm sorry." Ross replied, sincerely. He really had dropped a bomb on her that day.

"You know what the fun part is though?" Rachel asked.

"No" Ross said, nonplussed.

"That future didn't scare me half as much as the one that I'm facing right now." Rachel continued in a low voice, confessing.

"This... future... scares you?" Ross asked, unable to conceal that little hope that fluttered in his chest.

Rachel took a moment to respond.

"It's... complicated." she finally said, hesitatingly.

"We have all night to us, Rach." Ross said, suggesting her to explain further.

"I don't know!" she said, venting frustration on her inability to comprehend her own thoughts.

"I guess I'm just the type of person who likes to have the future a secret, you know. Always being excited about what's about to happen, hoping it'll be something different everytime... So, I mean sure I'm as scared as hell but just because I'm scared doesn't necessarily mean that it's a bad thing, you know. " she continued.

"I get it." Ross replied, nodding knowing that how sometimes fear could lead you to a better place in your life. That bubble of hope yearned him to try a different track. And he did.

"But don't you think that there always arises a phase in your life when you do want to know what's going to happen? Like, you want that sense of comfort and security of knowing that you are finally home?" he asked, hoping to somehow steer the conversation towards a possible future together.

"Maybe. But I'm not sure I'm quite there yet." Rachel replied, her expression suggesting uncertainty.

"Oh." was all Ross could manage.

"Having something still doesn't mean that you won't lose it though." Rachel added as an afterthought. Seconds later she wished she hadn't though, as the atmosphere suddenly tensed.

The words had been innocent enough although seeing that they had been having a discussion about _their_ future just prior gave the words a whole new meaning.

"What do you mean?" Ross asked with caution, although he had a slightly annoyed look on his face.

'God, Rach! Shut up right now!' her mind screamed internally. Nevertheless she said the words.

"I mean, we were so positive that we were gonna make it, weren't we?"

Rachel wanted to swallow the words as soon as they were out. But it was too late. Ross's expressions quickly switched from anguish to anger to a cold mask.

"Well let me tell you about the things which I do have for certain! I have a tenured job in New York that basically guarantees me a salary for life unless I chose to resign myself. Which I don't think I'm doing anytime soon." he replied, all the thoughts of the 'Paris vision' momentarily forgotten.

It's moments like these which can go a long, long way in changing your future. Though both regretted their words, there seemed to be no turning back now. Ross had the same guilty expression which Rachel had only moments before whilst Rachel suddenly seemed hurt.

"You know what, Ross? Today was a rather long day. So I'm gonna call it a night." she replied somewhat spitefully and turned towards her side of the bed.

"Good! Goodnight." Ross replied, taken aback. What had he said to make her so upset? Shouldn't he have been the one to react like that? Why would Rachel care if he stayed or did not stay put with his job?

As Rachel glanced through the window, she let out a tiny stifled sob. It was only then she realised that she had been subconsciously visualising a future with Ross in the past couple of days. In Paris. Like the happy family they had been until just now. She didn't want things to be just a dream.

* * *

When Ross's alarm woke them up in the morning, it took them both quite some time to recollect the events of the day before. The guy at the museum. Their almost kiss atop the Eiffel Tower. The heavenly dinner after that. And... and the discussion they had had in that very bed.

But it was not like they had a lot of time on their hands to think about it. Ross's flight was due in four hours and they had a lot to do before that. So they shunned all possible discussion and focused their attention on the matters requiring immediate attention. Like taking Emma to the daycare with the best recommendations yet at a plausible distance from the apartment. Luckily, Rachel had already found a one that suited their criteria, owing to her assistant. Ross was visibly impressed by the facility and they spent the next hour making sure their daughter was comfortable. Ross grew more emotional as time passed, knowing that he wouldn't be seeing his daughter for the next few months at least. After glancing at his watch for the millionth time (which refused to slow down) , he finally gave his daughter a last hug and a kiss and they made way to the airport.

And so that was how they once again found themselves alone in the back of a cab on a journey to the airport. Except that this time, everything was reversed. It almost seemed like a sadist parody of the earlier version.

It was Ross who was boarding a plane and leaving his family behind, it was him who seemed to choose his job security over an unpredictable future. And also, it was Rachel who was wondering whether she should ask him to prolong his stay.

Their thoughts were also similarly altered. Ross was speculating whether he could really try getting a job at Louvre. He knew that as art history was not his speciality, it was a long shot. But he did have a doctorate in history, not to mention a decent knowledge about the Louvre's collections. He definitely stood a chance. Besides he always loved working at a museum over the University. Not to mention that Louvre was the gem amongst museums all over the world. And why Louvre? Sure there were many museums in and around Paris who would welcome a Paleontologist. The possibilities were endless. But why even try when Rachel had already closed the doors?

Rachel in the meanwhile was visualising her past two days with Ross. She knew she didn't want him to leave, she just didn't know why. Why was it so difficult for her to understand? It was simple. She was in denial. She was ignorant of the depth of her affection for Ross, as was mostly the case.

One would've thought that after all that maybe the end would change. No. It was exactly the same. Alas.

"I guess this is goodbye then." Ross said once they had stepped outside the cab onto the curb and stood facing each other . God, he was getting sick of airport farewells.

"Yeah." Rachel replied, nodding.

Even after saying a rather long goodbye to their daughter, they hadn't exchanged much of either words or gestures, both wanting the other to start first. It was only now that both turned to face their current situation.

"Rach?" Ross asked.

Rachel suddenly realised she had been blankly staring and focused her attention on to him.

"Promise me something."

"What?" she asked, tensed.

"Promise me to keep Emma in one piece." Ross said, chuckling as he did so.

" Of course! What kind of mother do you think I am?" Rachel asked rolling her eyes.

"A little careless." Ross said, in admittance as he shrugged.

Rachel smiled in good humour.

"And Rach, take care."

Rachel locked eyes with him to see them flowing with honest sincerity, with no trace of the way things had ended yesterday .

"Only if you promise to do the same yourself." she replied, almost in a whisper.

Their looks intensified and developed the same expression of passionate compassion. As Ross closed in on her yet again, she closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself for the kiss, deciding there and then that the moment Ross's lips parted hers would be the moment when she told him that she wanted him to stay.

That moment never came.

"Goodbye, Rach. I hope we'll see each other very soon." he said, his voice composed yet heavy.

Rachel opened her eyes in confusion to notice Ross standing farther away from her than before. It was only then that she noticed the wetness on her _forehead_. Rachel's eyes welled with tears as she realised that Ross had never intended to actually kiss her on her lips. She only nodded in response, careful not to spill her tears in front of him.

After a last smile, Ross turned to face the glass doors of the terminal. Rachel could only stare, the roles reversed.

As she continued staring at his back, the lone tear on her cheek soon evolved into a continuous stream.

'Why was it so hard to watch him go?' she thought as she wiped her eyes in an attempt to regain her composition. It was then when a possible answer striked her...

Was she still in love with him?!

 **Is she? ;)**

 **A quick question. Did you guys like the scene in italics? I'm planning on writing a similar thing in the next chapter... So I would like to know what you guys thought of that little 'off beat' format of the scene.**


	6. At crossroads (Ross)

**Hello!**

 **Yeah, I know it's been wayyy too long since my last update. A huge thanks to all those old readers who stuck with my story. And a Hi to the new ones! :)**

 **Without further ado, I present you this brand new update.**

 **6\. At crossroads... (Ross)**

The jingling of the keys announced Ross's appearance in the corridor leading to his apartment, as he twirled them around in a carefree fashion. He was just about to insert the keys in his door when he was interrupted by his neighbour, who had apparently heard him coming.

"You are back?!"

Ross turned to face him with an annoyed look on his face.

"Yeah. I was gone for just a couple of days."

"Oh man! I thought you had gone for good!" he replied, sounding seriously put-out.

Ross was about to respond when his neighbour turned his back towards him and the magnitude of the scenario struck him.

"Guys! The party's off! Gel-err is back." he announced to the crowd, which seemed in the middle of a celebration.

Loud groans and moans were heard following this statement, while Ross found it impossible to believe that somebody could hate him so much simply because he hadn't paid a hundred bucks for a man he didn't know at all. And that too more than five years back.

"That's right, suckers! I'm staying!" he shouted as his eyes caught two men bringing down the huge 'He is gone!' banner.

Muttering to himself, he opened the door lost in thought. Perhaps it would be better to go to Paris after all, if only to get rid of these loathsome neighbors. And it wasn't like it could not be done. En route, he had browsed through various jobs available at the museums in Paris and had found himself overqualified for most of them. Even the Louvre wouldn't mind having him. Apparently, getting a job wasn't a problem at all. It was just an excuse at best.

Sitting on the sofa, he hit the button on his answering machine to listen to the messages which had accumulated over the last four days.

'You have 3 new messages.'

'Just three?' he thought, frowning as he did so. Then again, he hadn't been much social in the past month. Most of his colleagues and friends had probably given up.

The first message was from his ex-wife, Carol.

 _'Hey Ross, it's me. I just wanted to let you know that this Thursday, Ben will be playing his first ever interschool football match..._

(Carol's voice was interrupted with a loud 'Yay!' from Ben. She let out a laugh, obviously amused at his excitement.)

 _'And as you can see, he's looking forward to it...'_

(Another loud 'Very much!' is heard in the background.)

 _'So it would really mean a lot to him if you'd be there. Call me when you get this. Oh and how was your trip to Paris? Let me know. I gotta go, now. Bye!'_

Ross smiled at his son's excitement, which reminded him that he still had a child to father, here in New York. Yes. He would definitely be there.

He didn't have much time to reflect on that though as the machine beeped and a new voice was heard, this time the owner being his sister.

 _'Errm... Ross?... Hi. It's me.'_ she said, her voice being unusually quiet which made him miss her loud, bossy self for once.

 _I.. err... I just wanted to ask you if you would be coming to our weekly dinner this Friday. I mean.. it'll be totally okay if you... I mean I totally get it if you don't want to. But I just wanted to let you know that I'd be cooking your favourites!'_

There was a short but noticeable pause before she continued, obviously hesitant.

 _'And... that I support you no matter what you decide. We... I crossed a line. I'm sorry. Call me when you get this, alright? Or don't. I'd understand either ways... Bye.'_

Ross felt shame coursing through his veins as he recalled his outburst. It hadn't been her mistake. She simply wanted the best for him. Of course he would be visiting.

The third message caught him off-guard. It was from the office of the head of the history department, which was a rare occurrence in itself. He closed in, so as to hear the message properly.

 _'Good morning, Dr.Geller. This is Lidya, calling from the office of Dr.Brandon. I've been told to inform you that Dr Brandon requires you to call him personally ASAP. I request you to do the needful. Have a good day!'_

Calling ASAP?! Why? What kind of emergency had struck the history department? There were many running jokes in the campus based on the absurdness of the thought. Nevertheless, he immediately picked up the receiver and placed the call.

It was picked up almost immediately.

"Hello? Dr. Brandon?" he asked, a little hesitant.

"Call me Rex, will you?" said the voice at the other end.

"I...?" was all that Ross could manage, obviously unaware that the HOD knew his nickname in the department. Is that what this was all about?

"Isn't that what you guys call me behind my back? Tyrannosaurus Rex?" Dr. Brandon continued on Ross's lack of response.

Hearing nothing at the other end, Dr Brandon laughed, relaxing the tension in the air.

"You need not freak out, Geller. I'm okay with it. In fact, I quite like it."

Relieved, Ross decided to pursue the matter in hand.

"Rex. You said I was supposed to call you urgently?"

"Oh yeah. As you may have heard, I'm retiring at the end of this month."

"Yeah, I did." Ross replied, nonplussed. They did have a 'secret' party planned for just the same.

"Well...the university's gonna need someone to fill in my shoes."

"Nobody can fill in your shoes, Rex. They are wayyy too large." Ross said, smirking. Dr. Brandon did have literally HUGE feet.

"Haha... You know what I mean." Dr. Brandon replied, immune to the pun.

"Yes. Yes, I do."

There was a sudden silence as Ross finally realised the purpose of the call. It was a promotion. A promotion which he wasn't quite sure he wanted to take.

"Do I have to state the obvious, Ross?!"

"Apply for the position, for God's sake!" Dr. Brandon said after hearing nothing but static at the other end.

"You know that as well as I do that currently you are the most eligible person for the job! Just apply and the job is yours!"

Ross sighed before he finally came up with a response.

"I... I need some time to decide, Rex."

"Time?... For what?! There's double the money, you get two assistants, hardly give any lectures.. God, that's a huge relief! And the office! You've been in my office, it's huge! Million times better than that stuffy cubicle of yours."

 _'That's true, Rex! But currently I don't even know whether I want a f*kin' job in New York!',_ Ross wanted to shout. Instead, he compromised with a single statement.

"I have some personal issues, Rex. I'm sorry, I just.. Give me some time, alright?"

"Look Ross, I don't know you that well, but what I do know is that life doesn't present such opportunities often. And when you do get them, you grab 'em! You have two days to fill in an application. Sorry, but that's all the time that I can give."

Ross rubbed his forehead and nodded as he said,

"Thank you, Rex. I'll let you know shortly."

As Ross put the receiver down, Chandler's voice ran through his head

 _'Could my life BE any more messed up?!'_

* * *

"So how was your day, sweetie?" Rachel asked her almost two year old daughter as she picked her up from the daycare and made her way towards her apartment.

"Did you like your new nanny?" she asked her in a baby voice, while Emma only stared at her. Rachel smiled, feeling nothing but pure joy to finally have her daughter in her arms after a long and tiring day.

"I miss you." Emma said after a while, as they reached their doorstep.

"Aww! You did?" Rachel asked, to which Emma nodded vigorously.

"Momma's gonna be with you all night, sweetheart. I promise." she said as she pushed the door open with her side.

"Mommy?" Emma asked as Rachel placed her on the sofa and busied herself with placing the takeaway.

"Yes honey?" she asked, her face scrutinizing the freezer.

"Where's daddy?" Emma asked, with all the innocent curiosity that a child possesses.

Suddenly Rachel found herself glad that the freezer door hid her face. For tears had sprung in her eyes.

"I miss him."

Rachel didn't know quite what to say and even if she did her voice was too caught up to give her daughter a legible response.

"I miss him too..." was all that she could muster.

* * *

' _Sometimes things_ _don't happen the way you want them to because you just haven't tried hard enough. Unbeknownst to you, a last push may be all that you need._

 _Sometimes it's because you keep making the wrong choices, yet choose to blame the circumstances over and over again._

 _While sometimes... it is life's way of making you realise that it's simply not meant to be. Not now and not ever._ '

Ross re-read the prologue of the book, courtesy of the flight that brought him back 'home'. He let out a sigh, contemplating. Right until today he had been absolutely sure that it had been the first two statements which applied to him and Rachel. Today however, he wasn't quite sure.

Letting his daughter go had been the second hardest thing he had ever done in his entire life. The first? Letting _her_ go. And it wasn't like he hadn't felt the tension rise between them when they had closed in on each other, back at the airport. For a second, (if only for a second) he had indeed imagined kissing her on the lips, wondering if they would still taste the same. (Of course they would! They had only gotten better over the years.) And he had been _quite_ sure that the feeling had been mutual.

There lied the problem.

For he could remember hundreds, may be even thousands of situations where he had been so sure of something, only to be proven wrong seconds later. And every time that had happened, he had thawed, bit by bit, until his insecurities had become paramount. He remembered the times when he had become so jealous and unsure of everything that had gone on in his life. Could he risk that once more?

And was it even worth it?

As he stared into the darkened sky, he felt he knew the answer.

Ofourse it was. It was about Rachel.

* * *

"Yello!" came Chandler's voice amidst the bawling of a young infant, or perhaps infants.

Hearing nothing but silence, Chandler stared quizzically at the phone before he spoke again.

"Hello?"

Chandler was about to end the call when finally there was a response from the other end.

"C.. Chandler? Is.. Is Monica there?" Rachel asked, her voice shaky.

"Rachel?.." Chandler exclaimed, concerned. "Yeah. Hold on for a second will you? Actually, know what? Just stay on line. It takes decades to pacify Erica. And then just when you've thought that you've done it, Jack sets off! God knows it ain't easy raising a kid, huh Rach?"

Rachel could only manage a weak chuckle as Chandler was unaware of how differently yet deeply the statement rang true for her.

Sensing Rachel's distress, Chandler decided that now wasn't the best time.

"I'll be back."

"Mon? Mon?! There's a call for you!" she heard Chandler call.

"Tell them to leave a message." came Monica's voice.

"It's Rachel." was all that Chandler had to say before there was scurrying heard on the other end and soon Monica was on line.

"Hey Rach, what's up? How was your weekend? What happened? Tell me everything!" she exclaimed with all the excitement of a teenage girl.

"It's Ross..." Rachel said as her eyes brimmed with tears again.

"What happened?" Monica asked, concerned. "You two didn't fight, did you?"

"Not exactly..." Rachel replied, cringing. They did have a 'minor' row, but it really didn't seem like a fight to her.

"Okay..." Monica said, puzzled. She wanted to know the details, but realised by Rachel's tone that the reason for her call was yet to be revealed.

"I think... I think that I'm still in love with him." she said.

"WHAT?!" Really? Rach, that's great news!" Monica exclaimed, barely managing to contain her excitement.

"I don't know what I should do, Mon!" Rachel said, distressed.

"Tell him! That's the obvious next step, of course!"

"I really don't think that's a good idea, Mon. I mean he's already moved on, so what's the point?"

On hearing this statement, Monica sensed that she was missing something.

"Hey there, Whoa! Who told you that he has moved on?"

"It certainly seemed like he has from the way he behaved at the airport." Rachel replied, feeling helpless.

"At the airport? When? Today? Tell me everything." Monica said, following which Rachel narrated the entire incident of how close they had come to kissing each other and how, despite feeling the passion, Ross had backed out and ended up kissing her on the forehead.

"Hmm." Monica said, after hearing it all.

"I don't know honey. To me it sounds like he was protecting himself. I still think you should confess your love."

"You do?" Rachel asked, suddenly sounding hopeful.

"It's the only way to be sure, Rach. And I really am betting on the feeling being mutual." Monica said, as she recalled the pain in Ross's eyes the last time she had seen him.

Knowing her brother, that would probably never change.

* * *

It had been a long day. Not just figuratively, but also literally as the change in timezone had made the day six hours longer. Nevertheless, it was almost midnight before he headed to the bedroom to prepare himself for the night. Before he could do that, however, his phone started to ring and he headed to the living room to receive it.

"Hey, you" came Rachel's voice, coyly.

"Hey Rach. What's up?" Ross asked, a little taken aback by Rachel's greeting.

"Nothing...Ahemm.. It's just that I had something to tell you." Rachel replied, her confidence somewhat diminished by Ross's 'cool' response.

"Oh yeah? Me too!" Ross replied as the prospect of the promotion immediately rang through his mind.

"Oh." she said, a little surprised. "Well then, you go first." she told him, wanting her confession to be delayed until the end. Like the icing on the cake.

"You sure? It did sound pretty important." Ross reasoned.

"Oh no, no, no! I can wait. You go first." Rachel replied.

"Okay." Ross said, shrugging. "Guess what?"

"What?" Rachel asked, perplexed.

"I'm getting offered a promotion. Straightaway as the head of the department!" Ross said, sounding genuinely excited.

"What?!" Rachel exclaimed in alarm. _'Oh_ _God!'_ she thought.

"Yeah! Double the salary, a place in the campus, a huge office and all I have to do is to fill an application." Ross said, mistaking the reason behind Rachel's disbelief.

On the other end, Rachel was about to lose it as she felt the walls closing in upon her. She couldn't reply as controlling her composure was all that she could manage for the moment.

"Rach?" Ross asked, puzzled.

"Mmm-Hmm?" she finally said.

"Unbelievable, isn't it? Hard work finally paying off, huh?" Ross said, failing to grasp the complete somersault Rachel's emotions had taken.

"Yeah. I'm s-s-so happy for you!" Rachel finally said, as she grabbed a couple of tissues from the table.

"So you think I should take it?" Ross asked.

"Of-of course you should. Definitely! Yeah!" Rachel replied with false enthusiasm, now wanting the call to end.

"Okay, if you say so. 'Cuz I wasn't very sure about applying for it." Ross said, finally revealing a bit of his indecision.

"Why? You earned it, right?" Rachel asked, as rays of hope surged through her unknowingly.

"I..."

Ross was about to say something when suddenly Rachel's words echoed through his mind and made him swallow his words before they could be spoken...

 _'I mean... we were so positive that we were going to make it, weren't we?'_

 _'She has given up on me already! What am I thinking?!'_ his mind seemed to shout.

And that was how a couple seconds later, he came up with a very different response.

"Oh... It's just... You know... seems like a lot of responsibility. Managing a department and all that."

 _'That's why, Rach! You idiot! And here you were thinking that it was because of you.'_ her inner self admonished her while also cursing Monica for her advice.

"Oh. Yeah. There's that too." she finally said, with a small chuckle.

"Guess you are right, though. I did earn it." Ross said, sounding proud of himself.

Of course he had. She had seen him work hard on his job, so she knew it firsthand.

"Mmm-Hmm." she replied, as tears fell freely from her eyes.

"Rach?" Ross asked, confused.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"You said you had something to tell me." he stated, wondering why Rachel hadn't brought it up by now.

"Oh. Oh, that! Yes! Emma was saying that she misses you." Rachel replied, thanking her stars that she had an excuse at hand.

"Aww... did she now? Tell her daddy misses her too! Is she awake?" Ross asked, hopeful.

"No, it's still pretty early." Rachel replied, sniffing.

"Rach? You okay?" Ross asked, after hearing her sniff a couple times.

"Yeah, absolutely!" she replied, overcompensating.

An odd silence seemed to descend on both ends as nobody seemed to know as to what they should say.

"Well... errmm... I think I should get going. I've got some documentation to submit." Ross said, not quite convinced, but brushing it off all the same.

"Yeah. Me too!" Rachel replied, glad that she didn't have to be the one to end the conversation.

"Take care, Rach." Ross said.

"Yeah, thanks. You too." Rachel replied, ending the call.

Ross latched the receiver in it's place and got up, not knowing what to make out of the whole conversation. He was about to leave the room, when a piece of paper suddenly caught his attention as it lay crumpled on the ground, his scribble visible on the underside.

Although he opened it to read, he knew it's contents beforehand having read it several times before.

 _'Scenario A:- Rachel's plane would get cancelled or grounded._

 _Scenario B:- Her position would be already filled._

 _Scenario C:- Eventually, she wouldn't be happy there. Or would realise that she couldn't be happy without me.'_

Ross let out a sigh before he finally decided to get rid of it. Artistically, he folded the paper and made it into a plane. Gently blowing some air, he let the plane go, watching it get through the window, it's nose tilted downwards due to the weight of the ink.

More than 3000 miles away Rachel's mind had only just prepared a similar list.

* * *

"WHAT?!" Phoebe exclaimed, as she listened to Monica tell her about Rachel's confession.

"My reaction exactly!" Monica exclaimed, laughing at Phoebe's awestruck face.

"So this solves everything, right?! My lobsters get together again!" Phoebe exclaimed, hardly able to contain her excitement.

"It's not that simple, but let's just say that things are finally looking positive, yes!" Monica replied, feeling genuinely happy for her brother and her best friend.

"So when is Rachel going to tell him that?" Phoebe asked.

"She might already have. It's been three days since then and it did sound like she would be calling him the very next minute." Monica replied.

"Hang on. So let me get something straight. Rachel realized that she was in love with Ross four days back and planned to call him three days ago. Is that right?" Chandler asked.

"Yes" they replied, in chorus.

"And since then we haven't received a single call from either of them. Am I the only one who is finding this suspicious?!" Chandler asked again.

A silence fell in the room as everyone realized the validity of Chandler's statement.

"Oh my God! I know what must have happened!" Phoebe exclaimed, jumping in excitement.

"What?" Joey asked, clueless.

"They must have eloped. THEY MUST HAVE ELOPED!" Phoebe shouted.

"I... I really doubt that Pheebs." Monica said, sounding skeptic while Chandler and Joey let out murmurs of assent.

"Oh, you'll see!" Phoebe replied, confident as always.

Monica was about to say something in response when the phone began to ring.

"Oh, I bet that's them!" Phoebe exclaimed as Monica took the call.

"Hello? Oh, hey Ross! You are coming for dinner right?" Monica asked while Phoebe let out a celebratory 'Ha'.

"Oh. Why?" Monica asked perplexed, as she mouthed 'He's not coming' to the rest.

"Because he's busy on his honeymoon!" Phoebe practically shouted.

"WHAT?!" Monica asked, while the others turned to look at her.

"Pheebs is right?!" Chandler exclaimed, finding it hard to believe. As the ruckus in the living room increased, Monica shot daggers at them and they quitened down almost immediately.

"And when were you going to tell us?" Monica asked, sounding annoyed. After listening to the other end, Monica asked

"And R... Rachel? Like, you guys talked about this?"

If only Monica's words were to be considered, it sounded like Phoebe's wild guess had been right. But the gang had perceived Monica's body language and knew it couldn't mean anything good. This time the exchange went on for a good couple of minutes before Monica said,

"Oh. Well... Okay! All the best!" in a small voice before keeping the receiver and ending the call.

Three pairs of eyes were focused on Monica, eager for the verdict.

"Ross is applying for a job. As head of the department. In New York." she said, a bit pale.

"New York. So does that mean that Rachel.." Phoebe trailed, her hopes fading as she met Monica's eyes.

"Rachel will continue to live in Paris with Emma. Apparently she... encouraged Ross to take the job." Monica continued.

"What? This doesn't make sense anymore!" Joey wailed, frustrated over his friends.

"Rachel never confessed, did she?" Phoebe asked, aghast.

"Nope." Monica replied, settling heavily on the couch behind her, while nobody knew quite what to do. They had never felt more helpless.

* * *

 _"Mommy? Mommy? Mommy!" rang an all too familiar voice throughout the house._

 _" Yes, sweetheart! Momma's making pancakes for you!" she replied, mixing the batter._

 _"Mommy?!" Emma called again, this time more persistent._

 _"Momma's busy, sweetie." she replied yet again, a little ticked off._

 _"Mommy??!!" came her child's voice, louder than before._

 _"Emma, that's enough! I told you I'm busy. If it's so urgent then pester your dad and leave me alone." she admonished, as she kept the pan on the flame and added a tablespoon of butter._

 _"Mommy??!!..." shouted Emma, sounding desperate and broke into a sob._

 _Something wasn't quite right. Why was her daughter crying? All she had done was tell her to leave her alone and go to her father. And she would be there in a couple of minutes anyways, wouldn't she? All set with a plateful of her favourite chocolate chip pancakes._

 _"Daddy??!!... Mommy..." pleaded her daughter, her voice cracking towards the end._

As though struck by a bolt of lightning, Rachel woke up and sat straight up in bed in one fluid motion, only to hear her daughter cry desperately in the other room.

"Shit!" she exclaimed, before she made her way towards her daughter and lifted her in her arms and was relieved when Emma's sobbing gradually decreased.

"Shhh... It's okay. It's okay. Momma's here..." she whispered comfortingly into her daughter's ear.

It wasn't just something that had been wrong with the dream. It had been everything.

Since when did she learn how to make pancakes??!!

Not to point the obvious, but that hadn't been the biggest problem with the dream at all.

 **Hold on to your horses, fellows! :)**

 **I wanted to ask:- Would you guys like to have slow updates (once every two weeks) Or would you like no updates for around a month or so** **and then a flurry of updates, say twice every week?**

 **Let me know! Also any feedback on the chapter would be greatly appreciated!**

 **One last thing...**

 **You can also catch me on WordPress. My blog site is:-**

 **www.soumitra97.** **wordpress . com**

 **See ya!**


	7. At crossroads (Rachel)

**7\. At crossroads... (Rachel)**

 **Hi again!**

 **Seeing that most of you would prefer slow updates rather than a month long wait, here I am, with a new update freshly from the press.**

"Wonder what's up with her?"

"She looks like she's cried through the entire weekend!"

Those were the only murmurs which Rachel could make out amongst the several that greeted her arrival in the office. To make matters worse, most of her co-workers were jabbering in rapid French, which she couldn't have deciphered even if they had done so right under her nose. Fortunately, being on a superior position meant that she got an isolated chamber for herself. Plus, you really don't ask your boss what the hell they've been up to.

After sitting in her office for two hours, doing nothing but staring blankly at the walls, she finally had to accept that she wasn't able to concentrate. But knowing that going home could only place her in a worse mindset, she opted for a cup of coffee and a breath of fresh air instead and headed to the cafeteria.

On reaching there, she headed straight for the vending machine. If only she had looked around, she would've known that she had been followed the whole time.

"Hi, Rachel!" exclaimed a chirpy voice belonging to a fellow colleague who joined her at the vending machine.

"Hi, Sam" Rachel replied in a small, almost dead voice, accompanied by a failed attempt at a smile.

Out of all the people in her department, Samantha had been the only one to whom Rachel had taken an immediate liking. It wasn't like the rest of the guys weren't helpful or polite, it was just that their backgrounds quite matched. Being brought up as a spoiled princess, running out of their own wedding and then becoming a self-sufficient businesswoman in a metropolis were only a few amongst the many things they had in common. So it's pretty unnecessary to add that they had formed quite a good bond within the short span of a month.

"Let me guess... Guy problems?" Sam asked sympathetically, her face exhibiting a knowing smile.

"Yeah..." Rachel replied, shyly as she sipped her coffee.

"Hmm. You two together? Or broken up?" she asked as the machine dispensed her coffee.

Several seconds went by as Rachel debated over the right answer. Finally, she came to the conclusion that their relationship had been wayyy too complicated to fit into the two 'classic' categories.

"Neither... actually. Though we haven't been together for more than seven years now.." she trailed. But before she could continue, she was interrupted by a sudden outburst from her colleague.

"Seven years! Are you kidding me?! Wow!" Sam exclaimed animatedly and rolled her eyes.

Rachel smiled fondly at her as she seemed to remind her of a younger version of her own self. Perhaps it was just the relief of finally being able to vent it all out, but somehow she was suddenly finding herself more at ease.

"You see, that's not all. He's also the father of my child."

"Emma, right?" Sam asked, doubting her memory. Then as Rachel nodded a yes and smiled, she continued.

"God, I have to meet her! She looks so damn cute in all those pictures you've shown!"

"She sure is." Rachel replied, exuding the pride she felt for her daughter.

"Hang on a second. You said that you haven't been together with this guy for seven years. Then how the hell did you bear a two year old child with him?!" Sam asked, confused.

Rachel let out a soft chuckle as she realised how strange her and Ross's story would appear to any stranger. "Me and Ross... it's not that simple, Sam. We've been through A LOT."

"Is this the same Ross who came to visit you just a week ago?" she asked. And then, as Rachel nodded, she continued "But you said he was a dear friend! I specifically remember asking you that!"

"He was. He still is, actually. And it was only when he went back home did I realise that I still loved him." Rachel clarified. It was the first time she was having this discussion ever since Ross had informed her about the job.

"Oh, you poor thing! Didn't you tell him then?" Sam asked, sounding sympathetic.

"Before I could, he informed me that he had been offered a promotion in New York. What was I to do? I told him he should get it because he deserved it. And he did. And I can't blame him. 'Cuz that's what I've done as well." Rachel replied, barely managing to keep her tears at bay.

"Oh. I'm so sorry to hear this." Sam said, rubbing Rachel's shoulders to console her. "So what are you gonna do now?"

"I don't know. I really don't!" Rachel replied, unable to control herself and feeling ashamed of crying in a workplace at the same time. Samantha relieved their hands of the coffee mugs and took her in her arms as Rachel gradually steadied herself.

"From what you tell me, it appears that he has moved on, and however hard you might find it to accept, you should. I'll tell you what. Come with me tonight at the bar. My mom will babysit Emma, don't you worry about her. We'll have a few drinks and I know a couple of decent guys who are regulars there. Why don't we set you up, huh?" Sam said, attempting comfort her.

"I really don't think that's a good idea Sam, I'm sorry." Rachel replied, knowing that she wasn't in the right place.

"Come on! Give yourself a break! You can't beat yourself up like this. It's been what, seven years since you guys were in a proper relationship, right?! Don't you think it's about time?" Sam asked, attempting to reason.

"I'm... I just... I can't do this right now." Rachel pleaded, as she dried her face with a tissue.

"Well, I can't just watch you like this..." Sam replied, determined to help. " Hold on, there might be yet another way..." she said, frowning as she did so. Then, as through struck by a bolt of lightning she said,

"Oh yeah. 'Move' on" and airtagged the word move as she did so.

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked, confused.

"I know it sounds weird and unorthodox, but it might just work in your case." Sam replied, still working it out.

"I still don't get it." Rachel said, nonplussed.

"Real estate. Buy a house!" Sam exclaimed, as though it was something which you did every other day.

Rachel was more intrigued than amused by her friend's 'out of the blue' suggestion

"How will that help?"

"Think about it. You now earn enough money so as to easily pay the rent of a house in the suburbs. And why mortgage? I bet if you run it through the directors, they'll readily offer you a loan based on your salary. Plus, I know quite a few agents who'd offer you great places at reasonable prices. Having a house of your own gives you a sense of independence and newness in life. It'll be like starting afresh. It'll definitely help you heal." she said.

'She does have a point.' Rachel thought to herself.

"Buying a house... That's quite a big step." she said, still unsure.

"It sure is. But so was running away from a lavish lifestyle. And that turned out pretty good, right?" Sam asked.

Yeah. That it did. Sam was right again.

"Think about it." Sam said, as she patted her shoulder as she stood still, apparently still absorbing the idea.

She definitely would. After all, for the first time in a week she had got something to ponder on.

* * *

"Wow! This is huge!" Phoebe exclaimed, taking in the vastness of the office.

"It sure is." Ross replied, sounding proud of himself.

It had been a week since Ross had applied for the job. To nobody's surprise, he had gotten it straightaway, no contest. Ross had received the keys to the office earlier in the morning and decided to invite the rest for a tour of the same. So that was how the office happened to host five people after hours on a Friday. Five people who were busy scrutinizing and admiring every aspect of it. Actually, only four of them were scrutinizing the office, whilst one had gone a step ahead.

"DON'T TOUCH IT, JOE! How many times do I have to tell you?! Fossils are delicate." Ross said, admonishing Joey who had lifted up an ancient looking artefact from one of the many shelves.

"Delicate, you say?! How the hell did they stay put for millions of years then, huh?" Joey countered.

Ross had been rendered speechless, having not expected such a comeback.

"That's right! I watch the Discovery channel!" Joey said, proudly while Ross was still searching a suitable response.

"Since when did YOU start watching the discovery channel?!" Chandler asked, taken aback.

Now, it was Joey's turn to be abashed. "Well, I turned on the TV and couldn't find the remote. I was feeling too lazy to manually flip through the channels and so I thought I'd just watch what was running." he said, while Chandler rolled his eyes.

"So where was the remote?" Phoebe asked, jumping into the conversation all of a sudden.

" As it turns out, I had been sitting on it the whole time." Joey replied, the way only he could. Unashamed.

"So that was why we had to buy a new one?!" Chandler exclaimed as he was suddenly reminded of it. "You told me it was because our operator had changed the substratum!" he said, his voice continually rising in pitch.

"What's a substratum?!" Phoebe asked, intrigued.

"Phoebe, there is no substratum." Joey explained.

"Ooh! You pulled a phalange, I like that!" she replied, smacking her lips as she did so, while Chandler exclaimed in his high pitched voice,

"What do you mean, there's no substratum?!"

While Chandler and Joey continued to bicker, helped occasionally by a shrewd Pheebs, Ross and Monica were having a discussion of their own. Ross had been about to correct Joey about the time scale of the sabre toothed tiger, when he noticed Monica looking pensively through the window. Sensing that something was bothering her, he quietly withdrew from the animated discussion and headed towards her.

"Hey, what's up?" Ross asked, nudging her.

Monica seemed to panic momentarily as she hadn't expected anyone to disturb her reprieve.

"Huh? Oh, It's nothing." she replied, shaking her head whilst nervously looking around for a distraction. "This is indeed a great office!"

Ross had already seen through it.

"Come on, Mon! It's obvious that something's bothering you. Just let it out." he said.

After debating with herself for a few seconds, she finally decided to ask him.

"Have you talked with Rachel in the past week?"

Ross immediately tensed on hearing that question.

"Well... Sort of." he said, his expressions only raising Monica's suspicions. "Only yesterday, she straightaway put Emma on the line and her hello was the first thing I heard. It felt pretty nice." he continued, his face giving away the pain he felt from the seperation from his daughter.

"Was it also the last thing you heard?" Monica asked rather sharply.

"No. I did speak with her, although it was mostly me who did the talking" he admitted.

"And haven't you wondered why?" Monica asked, prodding him further.

To her surprise, Ross said, "No. She told me she has the flu. So that explains her not talking much and talking as though she has a bad cold when she does. She told me she hasn't even been to work since 2 days because of the fever. I'm telling you, it sounds bad. So give her a break, alright?"

Monica nodded, not quite convinced.

"Well, atleast she's talking to you." she said, in a resentful manner.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ross asked, confused.

"Ever since you applied for the promotion, Rachel has not picked up even a single out of the million calls I've made her in the past week."

This was indeed brand new information for Ross.

"Really?" he asked, not quite believing it.

"Ross have you ever thought of ANY other reason that could produce a voice sounding like a bad cold?!" Monica exclaimed, suddenly sounding annoyed.

A couple seconds passed before Ross uttered a hesitant response, as though seriously doubting of his own words.

"Do you mean to say that she's been crying? I don't understand."

"Oh come on Ross, it's not that hard! Haven't you behaved exactly like this barely a month ago?" she exclaimed, finding herself relieved for finally having gotten it off her chest.

"What?!" Ross exclaimed, refusing to believe Monica's explaination.

Monica was about to defend herself, but was cut short by Ross.

"We are not having this discussion again, Monica. I've lost too much of my sanity hoping that the feelings were indeed mutual and now that I'm finally in a good place in my life I really don't want to go back there. I really don't." Ross replied, this time having a much better control over his emotions.

By now, everyone had stopped talking and all eyes were on the siblings who were looking at each other as though sizing each other up.

Monica decided it was about time that she brought in the dark horse.

"Well, what if this time I was to tell you that I know it's mutual? That I know that Rachel is still _in love_ with you?"

Even though she had barely whispered these words, they had been heard crystal clear by whosever was present in the room. There were collective gasps of shock and surprise, followed shortly by the fervour of anticipation.

Ross's voice was hollow and emotionless as he spoke the words below.

"If that is indeed the case, then it has to come from her."

While the group was still reeling from Ross's response, he calmly shut all the windows and switched off the lights before heading to the door and calling out the rest.

"Come on, we've got reservations at the Plaza."

They simply looked at each other, before slowly heading out of the room, realising that they had no say in this at all. In fact they had had no say in their relationship ever since it began.

* * *

"There you go Ems! We are home!" Rachel told her baby daughter, who had been quite grumpy for the entire length of the journey from the daycare center to the apartment. The reason was, that she had fallen asleep and had been woken up right in the middle of her adventure in the dreamland. Of course she didn't like it.

Though today had been a long day, Rachel was feeling particularly positive. She had left early from work and along with Samantha had seen quite a few houses not very far away from the main city. One in particular had caught her attention. It was a mid-sized three bedroom house equipped with a lawn, garage and even a swimming pool. Plus the surroundings were great to raise a child, be it the low crime rate or the nearby schools. For the first time, Rachel had actually imagined the prospect of a 'ever after' and to her surprise she quite liked it. And, as it turned out, her company was willing to offer her a loan based on deductions from her salary.

Satisfied with her day's work she checked for messages on her phone for the first time in a week. She had plenty. As the messages were played one by one, she realised that almost all of them were from a single person. Monica Geller. All except for one.

 _'Rach? It's me. Call me when you are free. It's urgent.'_

Of course she hadn't. And the reason had been very obvious. She knew what Monica would've wanted to talk about. She also knew that it was the last topic on this entire planet she would want to talk about.

 _'Rachel? You received my previous message, right? Please call me. I need to talk to you. It's very important.'_

So, even though it hurt her, she still chose to blatantly ignore her best friend.

 _'Rachel?! Are you even listening to me?! Or deleting my messages without even bothering to? Call me or I swear to God we will no longer be best friends.'_

Well, it already seemed like she had lost the love of her life. So this seemed like a comparatively smaller price to pay, she thought to herself. She winced when she heard Monica's voice grow loud and hoarse in the message that followed.

 _'What the hell is wrong with you?! First you don't listen to me and now you don't even take any of my calls? Does this line even answer to a Rachel Green or have you changed that too?!'_

What spooked her out was that she wasn't even able to shed one tiny tear even though she was shaken from the inside. Perhaps, she had already used then all in the past few days.

To her surprise, Monica's voice sounded heavy and pained in her last message, a complete contrast from the one just prior.

 _'Rach... please... I'm begging you... If not as a friend then atleast as a well wisher, listen to me. I really don't know what exchange took place between you and Ross that you seemed to have cut off all means of communication but I know this. That you are still in love. And so is my stupid brother. So whatever it is, just talk it through. Alright? And you can always count on me Rach. Forget my earlier message threatening you. We are BFFs. Talk to me. Please.'_

"Oh Mon..." Rachel said to herself, feeling an immense amount of guilt and pity. She knew that she had wronged her and that she had only her best interests at heart. But her message made it clear that she wasn't giving up on 'them', even though 'they' already had.

The question was, was SHE ready to talk about this?

As Rachel pondered over the same, the machine beeped once more and Ross's voice came through.

 _'Hey Rach! Sorry for the late message! I've been busy with all those formalities you need to do for a promotion... you know, board meetings, private interviews and blah... Anyways, what've you been up to? It's been a week since we had a proper conversation. Mon's been worried sick too. I told her about the flu, but she didn't seem to agree. Are you alright? I'm starting to freak out as well. I hope it's just Em who's been keeping you so occupied. How's she, BTW? I'm really missing her sweet, little voice. Call me as soon as you get this, alright? Love you.'_

So strange, Rachel thought to herself. That was the first time Ross had ever said a 'Love you' to her ever since she had left for Paris.

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

She had an eerie feeling that it couldn't mean anything good.

* * *

"Oh. So does that mean that I can move in next Sunday?" Ross asked as he was busy rummaging through some papers.

"It does?!" he asked again to confirm, as he grabbed some of them in his hand.

"Okay, thank you for the information." he said as he ended the call. So that was it, he thought. He moved into the campus next week, and would accept the responsibilities of his promotion, starting from the first day of the next month.

"Now they can party all they want." Ross said to himself as a sarcastic reference to his loathsome neighbours.

Life had moved so fast for him in the past few months. He had received a tenured job, had a grant which he was yet to use and had his own department. Academically, he had made great progress. As far as non-academics were concerned however...

He was nowhere. Absolutely NO where. He wasn't even close to starting any type of a relationship and secretly doubted whether it would ever be possible for him to love anyone that way again. For he had lost his dream girl and also their lovely daughter in a flurry of activity. Or had he?...

His sister's words suddenly rang through his mind,

 _'Well, what if this time I was to tell you that I know it's mutual? That I know that Rachel is still in love with you?'_

Why would she say that unless Rachel had personally told her so. And if she had, shouldn't he have been the first she would've talked to?

Well, there was only one way to find out.

* * *

After feeding her daughter and putting her to bed, Rachel had settled in the living room with a plate of pasta in hand and a brochure in the other, as she looked through details of the interior and exterior of the house. She was about to have another serving of the pasta when the phone began to ring.

The ID displayed that it was Ross.

Surprised to hear from him so early, she picked up the phone to answer it.

"Hey! I received your message. I thought you must be at work now so I decided to call you in the evening."

"Oh. No problem! So, how are you now? You do sound much better." Ross said.

"Yeah, I am! As it turns out a cup of hot chicken broth is all that it takes!" she replied.

On the other end, Ross was more taken aback by her cheerful tone than by the idea of Rachel cooking a chicken broth.

 _'That doesn't sound like a lovesick person.'_ he thought to himself. So maybe it had been the flu after all.

"You cooked a cup of chicken broth?!" was what he ended up asking.

"No. Sam brought it for me."

"I figured." Ross replied, chuckling.

"So.. errm... How's Emma?" he asked.

Rachel rolled her eyes as she replied, "Your princess has been especially grumpy today. She threw away the spoon like atleast ten times! It took me an hour to feed her just one bowl."

"That doesn't sound like her. What did you feed her? Please don't tell me it was some of your own creation!" Ross said, mocking her.

"Now don't you underestimate me, mister! Today I cooked my own dinner and yes it was edible, thank you for asking!" she countered, feeling proud of herself. What she didn't tell him was that all she had done was heat up a packet in boiling water.

"Wow! That's some progress!" Ross replied, sounding impressed.

"Speaking about progress, how's your promotion going?"

To her surprise, Rachel was finding herself completely at ease today. Perhaps it was the prospect of 'getting over' him that was making it so easy.

"Pretty good, actually! Like I told you yesterday, I got the keys of the office and now I'll be moving into the campus quarters next Sunday." he replied. What struck him was that this was the first time she had asked him about the promotion herself. What was going on, exactly?

"What's up with you? Anything you've got to tell?" he asked, his heart racing by now.

"Actually, right now I'm occupied because of the same reason as you." she replied, putting a few strands of hair behind her ear as she always did when she was nervous.

"You are getting a promotion?!" Ross asked, incredulous. "But you only just got the job!"

Rachel couldn't help but laugh at his tone before she continued,

"No, not the job part. The moving part."

Even after all these years Rachel Green never ceased to surprise him. And that was one of the many reasons why he loved him.

"What do you mean?"

"Well... I've been looking through a few properties and one has caught my attention in particular. It's big and beautiful. There's a school nearby, a good neighborhood, the whole package. Plus I'll get a loan from the company so money's not an issue as well."

Ross could hardly believe the words he was hearing. Rachel Green planning her future? Barely a week ago, she hardly even knew where she was going! Ross actually pinched himself so as to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. He wasn't as was evident by the burning pain on his forearm.

After hearing nothing from the other end for ten solid seconds, Rachel called into the receiver, confused.

"Ross? You there?"

"When were you going to tell me about this?" he asked, still in shock.

"I just did." Rachel replied, sounding a tad guilty.

"It's.. such a huge step, Rach." he said, after a while.

"I know." she replied, her voice indicating a slight fall in her confidence.

' _What was Monica even thinking by lying to me like that?'_ Ross thought.

 _'She is buying a house there for God's sake! How the hell could that justify her 'love' for him?!'_. Shaken, Ross still decided to give it a one last shot.

"You know that if you do it, you can't just turn around, right? That it'll be a commitment? To the city..."

There was a pause before he received a finite response.

"Paris has always been my dream, Ross." she replied.

 _'And it's all that I have left now.'_ she thought. But that thought never made it's way out. For she had suddenly been struck by a epiphany.

All this time, these past few days, her mind hadn't even thought twice about the implications of taking such a huge decision, a decision which she hadn't even considered making any time in the near future. Why?

Because she had had only two dreams. One of which had shattered only days ago. She simply couldn't let that happen to the second. And so she embraced it with all her heart.

"Then I wish you all the very best, Rach." Ross replied with profound sadness in his voice and ended the call without waiting for a response.

As the conversation came to an end, a deafening silence followed on both sides as they realised what they had done. Knowing their history, they knew that nothing was impossible when it came to them. But they also knew this:-

They had had to make certain choices several times in their lives. Which they had. And so they had to live with it's consequences.

Yet this time, deep within, they both knew that somehow they had crossed a line. That things could NEVER be the same again.

 **If this were a movie, now would be the time for some snacks! We are halfway through and the other half is going to be a similar rollercoaster. Stay tuned! :)**


	8. Drifting apart (?)

**8\. Drifting apart**

 **A/N:- I've tried something new this time. A different format. Do let me know your thoughts on this one!**

 **Oh and one more thing that can nag you:- The birthdate of Emma is a controversial topic as different episodes suggest different dates several months apart. For convenience, I'm selecting the air date of Emma's first birthday's episode.**

 _November 24, Present day_

A loud reverberated sigh was heard throughout the living room as the source continued to stare outside the window, into the darkness that lay beyond. Leaning on the window sill she stood, a glass of wine in hand, her eyes devoid of any expression in particular.

She had never felt so drained as much as she did right now, at this moment of her life. Drained, not physically but emotionally. Or perhaps it was both, with one leading to the other. Just when she thought that it couldn't get any worse, she found herself drained of one more thing, only this time it was in a literal way.

"Damn it!" she whispered to herself as she tilted the bottle upside down only to discover that it didn't have even a single drop to offer.

In despair, she passed a look inside the room, her eyes landing on a document that lay on the table. Ideally it should've cheered her up, for it was a token of her biggest achievement so far. Yet... darkness was all that she could feel.

* * *

 _Few hours before..._

"Please sign over here.."

Rachel leaned over the agreement papers as she accepted the pen handed to her by the agent. Samantha stood beside, her face lit with excitement.

"And here.." said the realtor yet again, flipping the pages as he did so. Rachel obeyed the same.

"And let's see..." he said, scrutinzing the document yet again. "Oh yeah, one last sign over here." he exclaimed, marking the spot.

"Thank you." he said, taking the document back and putting it into his case once Rachel had finished signing it.

" Now in about six months, depending on the sanctioning of the loan and other formalities, this house will be all yours!" Raphael said, extending his hand for a formal handshake.

"Yay!" Sam exclaimed, exuding a lot more enthusiasm in order to make up for the person beside her who had only come up with a weak smile and a 'That's good to know' whilst accepting the handshake.

"Won't you like a drink before you leave?" Rachel asked, more out of politeness than anything as the realtor stood up to take leave.

"Not today. Thank you for the offer though!" he replied, giving her a polite smile before heading out.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Sam's expression changed from enthusiastic to curious.

"Huh." she said, glancing inquisitively at Rachel.

"What?" Rachel asked, feeling Sam's glare upon her.

"For a woman who has just gotten a house under her belt, you sure don't look that happy. I mean, hasn't it been a dream come true? " Sam stated, her eyes demanding an explanation.

"I..." Rachel trailed, unable to continue whilst she cursed Sam for being so 'spot on'. Ever since she had made the decision of buying a house, she had actively decreased contact with Monica. It wasn't like they didn't talk, but it was more like they didn't _'talk'_. Their conversations had developed a formal, reserved tone much reminiscent of the time more than a decade ago when she and Monica had drifted apart.

But it wasn't like she didn't have such a friend here. Sam had gradually taken Monica's place over the months and though they were different in several aspects, they did have one thing in common. Their love and concern for Rachel Karen Green.

"C'mon Rach, it'll be alright." she said, rubbing her arm as she did so.

Rachel, who had barely payed attention to her friend, mouthed the words

"I'm leaving for New York tomorrow."

There was a brief pause as Sam absorbed this new piece of information.

"Leaving?! As in..." she asked, sounding both confused and upset.

"Just for two days. I'll be back by Monday. Without Ems." Rachel said, blinking back tears as she did so.

"Oh." Sam replied, her voice grave as it lost it's upbeat charm.

Well, think about it this way. Emma will finally get to see her father again!" she exclaimed, glad to have found something positive about the situation.

There was a brief silence before Rachel turned towards Sam and said with a sad smile,

"Honestly, it's not like she hasn't seen him recently."

Sam winced as she recollected the memory of Emma's second birthday.

Saying that it had turned out to be the most depressing birthday party she had ever been to was only a mild understatement. To add insult to injury it had been her idea that had caused the disaster, although truth be told she wasn't to blame at all.

* * *

 _October 23_

 _"Aww! Look, look what aunt Sam has bought for you! Say thank you!" Rachel exclaimed to her two year old as Sam unwrapped the package she had brought._

 _"Hey! Aren't we supposed to cut the cake before we began opening the presents?" Jean asked, annoyed._

 _There were murmurs of assent from others who were present there as well._

 _"Oh, as though you care! You just want to eat the cake." Paul exclaimed, while others laughed._

 _It was a cheerful occasion and everyone had been glad to join in to celebrate the birthday of their colleague's adorable daughter. There were around two dozen people present, including a few kids around Emma's age being either Rachel's colleagues' kids or Emma's playdates from her daycare. Though it was a much larger turnout from the last time, honestly she couldn't have cared less if nobody had shown up, with the possible exception of Sam. Because all the people whom she cared about hadn't been able to make it, and she felt responsible for the same. She had told her friends and parents that she was extremely caught up in work and hence couldn't make it to New York in time for her daughter's birthday. Truth was, that she just couldn't face her friends._

 _Even then she had hoped that atleast_ _ **he**_ _would be able to make it. He couldn't. Apparently his promotion kept him locked in his cabin for long hours and the time that was spared went in the formalities that accompanied the job such as guest presence and lectures on various occasions._

 _She barely had time to ponder on that though as the present had been set up and the screen now displayed 'Skype'._

 _"Ta-dah!" Sam exclaimed, with an expression of glee and pride on her face._

 _"So how does this work?" Rachel asked, intrigued. It had been Sam's idea as an ideal birthday gift to Emma. It wasn't the laptop itself. It was a videocall from her father._

 _"Pretty simple, actually. Once both the laptops have the application all set up and running, it's just the matter of..." Sam ranted as she explained the concept which was brand new to Rachel._

 _"What are you doing?" Samantha asked as Rachel turned to pick up the receiver of her landline._

 _"Calling him to tell him to turn on his Skype." she replied, on which Sam rolled her eyes._

 _"I can check that here!" she explained. "And.. yup. Daddy is connected. Time to make the call!"_

 _Rachel waited with bated breath as Sam made the call, waiting for Ross to receive it on the other end. She didn't have to wait for long._

 _"Daddy!" Emma practically shouted as Ross's image appeared on the screen._

 _"Happy birthday, Sweetie!" Ross exclaimed his eyes filled with joy and love upon seeing his daughter for the first time in four months._

 _"Daddy!" Emma exclaimed, hitting the screen and trying to figure out how could she hug him. She couldn't, of course._

 _Rachel took her in her arms and settled herself on the chair in front of the screen so that she could restrain Emma while also allowing her to see her father._

 _That was when their eyes met. Though they expressed a torrent of emotions, the occasion demanded that they shut them away and celebrate the bundle of joy they had created together._

 _Emma, who had been fidgeting only moments earlier stopped immediately when she noticed her dad was waving at her. Her face immediately split into a smile and she redid the same with all the enthusiasm a child possesses._

 _"Aww..." was the sound that escaped from almost everyone's lips on seeing this interaction._

 _Tears filled Rachel's eyes, which honestly wasn't really that uncommon now. Not since she had last met him four months ago. Yes, Emma was indeed daddy's girl, she thought, reveling in the father-daughter moment. Ross had almost always managed to console her when she had failed. Yet, Emma needed her mother more... Right? Or was it something they had decided arbitrarily?_

 _Rachel's trance was broken by a grumbling sound coming from her right. As everyone laughed, she realised that it had been Jean's stomach. She let out a laugh as well. Jean reminded her a little too much of Joey. And by extension, of New York._

 _"Let's cut the cake before Jean has it all by himself!" Paul exclaimed, smirking._

 _"Yeah." Rachel replied, smiling. Her colleagues were really good chaps. Although everyone in this room (except for her) could comprehend and respond in fluid French, they had restricted themselves to English for her advantage and comfort. And she truly appreciated that._

 _A joyous chorus of 'Happy Birthday' rang through the room as Rachel took Emma's tiny palm in hers as they cut the cake in unison. Whoops and cheers echoed followed by 'Aww's' as Emma had her face lathered with the frosting_.

 _On the other end, Ross was cheering in his office. Though he had joined in, his heart ached with the knowledge that he couldn't actually hug his daughter on her special day, or give her the gift she deserved. Yet, getting to see her live had been a precious moment. A moment which he should've known had been too good to last, as his PS made her appearance through the wooden doors. Knocking, she asked for his attention. Ross indicated that he was busy, upon which she mouthed 'It's urgent', while looking sincerely apologetic._

 _Finding no choice, he called her in._

 _On passing a single glance at the letterhead, Ross's joy evaporated almost instantly. It was from the Dean himself and the matter required his immediate presence to be resolved. He had no choice. He had to say goodbye to his daughter. Again._

 _"What's the matter?" Rachel asked, after watching the exchange on the other side._

 _"I... gotta go." Ross replied, his voice heavy._

 _"Now?! But we've only just started! There's presents to be opened... And, Emma hasn't even talked to you yet!" Rachel pleaded._

 _"Emma wants to talk!" Emma said, her lips turning into a pout._

 _Stopping himself from breaking down was all Ross could do as he met eyes with Rachel, his eyes reflecting a mixture of pride and deep sorrow for his daughter, whose eyes he didn't dare meet._

 _Understanding the pain and urgency in his big, brown eyes, Rachel nodded slowly._

 _"Believe me... I'm sorry." Ross whispered before he turned to Emma, saying,_

 _"Goodbye, Ems."_

 _Emma really didn't get it that Ross was leaving her. At first, she thought it was just a game. But when Ross finally ended the video chat, that was when things begun to get a little complicated._

 _In the meanwhile, the guests had begun entertaining themselves, getting into the groove of the party. So it was quite sometime before people started noticing that something was wrong._

 _"Daddy!" Emma wailed at the screen which had suddenly turned blank._

 _"Daddy'll be back soon, sweetheart." Rachel said, gently fondling her face, trying to make her understand._

 _"No! Emma want Daddy now!" she replied, her voice only increasing it's pitch._

 _Sam stared sadly at the mother who was failing miserably at pacifying her daughter, whose crying had finally attracted the attention of everyone present._

 _Rachel couldn't stand it anymore._

 _"Help me..." she said, weakly to Sam, on the verge of breaking down herself_.

 _"How about we start opening presents?" Sam said, chattering excitedly as one would to grab the attention of a kid. "Oh look what this is!" she exclaimed, ripping open a present._

 _"It's a Teddy bear!" she exclaimed, waving it in her hand._

 _Emma, who had quietened momentarily, resumed crying yet again._

 _"DADDY!" she shouted, not even looking at the bear._

 _But Sam thought she should give it another try. That was a mistake._

 _"Hi, Emma! I'm Mr. Teddy! I'm here to wish you a Happy birth..." Sam said, whilst hiding her face behind the bear and moving it's arms. Before she could finish wishing, however, the teddy was snatched and thrown away by a furious Emma._

 _"Emma!" Rachel exclaimed, shocked by her daughter's behaviour. Emma had always been a peaceful child and though she could be quite difficult to manage sometimes, she had never thrown a tantrum before._

 _Until today._

 _Sam, though taken aback recovered quickly enough and begun searching for another present, something, anything that could pacify Emma. Rachel got over her own despair as well. But to no avail_ _, for Emma_ _threw every toy that was offered and cried until her voice turned hoarse and her eyes red._

 _Slowly, the guests left the party, all feeling sorry for the mother-daughter pair_ , _who were inconsolable._

 _Thought they all had words and gestures to offer, they simply weren't enough._

* * *

"Her outburst still haunts me sometimes" Rachel revealed, her voice sounding like an eerie whisper.

"Me too." Sam replied.

There was a brief silence which was broken by Rachel as she opened the bottle of wine and generously filled both the glasses.

"So what happened afterwards?" Sam asked, picking up her glass.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Rachel asked, nonplussed.

"That day, when Ross called you again. You really didn't tell me the details." Sam said.

Rachel purposefully took her time with the wine, gulping it slowly, thereby delaying her response.

"We agreed that it was in the best interests of our daughter if we met." she finally replied, before she reached out for the bottle and poured herself a second helping.

Sam looked slightly alarmed at the rate Rachel was having her wine. Nevertheless, she prodded her further.

"That's it?" she asked, skeptic.

"Uh huh" Rachel replied, already halfway through her glass.

Sam looked at her for a solid minute before she asked or rather said,

"Parting with Emma's not the only reason you are dreading to go to New York, am I right?"

This time, there was no mistaking it. Rachel instantly lowered her gaze to avoid meeting eyes with Sam.

"What else could there be?" she asked, frowning as she did so.

"C'mon Rach, don't lie to me. You still love him, don't you?" Sam asked, as she kept her now empty glass back on the table.

Rachel's eyes widened slightly as she had not expected such a direct response from Sam.

"I..." was all that she could come up with.

"It could be the only explaination for why you keep pushing guys away using whatever excuse you have at hand." Sam said, her gaze triumphant.

Rachel chose not to respond, and instead poured them more wine.

"I mean, I know Jean suspects you for being a lesbian or something." Sam continued, accepting the glass. "But that's obviously not the case, isn't it?"

Before Rachel could respond, Sam said,

"Plus, I see it in your eyes, Rach. That's why you were so divided about buying the house. Because, somewhere, you are still seeing a silver lining for the two of you."

Rachel sighed, as she put down her glass. She really hadn't been looking forward to talk about this, but it felt like there was no choice.

"Honestly, Sam, when it comes to the two of us, there's always going to be a silver lining." she said, reflecting on the last proper conversation she had had with Ross a month ago.

* * *

 _October 23, After Emma's party_

 _The living room of Rachel Green's apartment had all the signs of a celebration. There was wrapping paper scattered all over the place. Toys littered the room, being flung into various nooks and crannies of the room. There was food on the table, including a half eaten cake, which thankfully didn't look like a human penis this time. Everything seemed perfect._

 _But something seemed off. The 'feel' was wrong. It wasn't the one proclaiming a 'cheerful aftermath'. Rather it had an eerie silence. A silence which was suddenly broken by the voice of the phone, resembling the sound of a cracked twig in the dead of the night._

 _Rachel, who had somehow managed to put Emma to sleep, woke up instantly at the voice. She looked at the watch. It was a little past midnight. Only one person would contact her at this ungodly hour. She rushed to pick up the phone as she definitely had a lot to say._

 _"He..." came the greeting, which stumbled upon hearing the steaming voice from the other end._

 _"What were you even thinking?!" she said, as loudly as she could without waking her daughter._

 _"Rach?" Ross asked, not quite understanding the question._

 _"Your daughter was seeing you for the first time in four months, and you run off to do some of that stupid work of yours without even saying a proper goodbye?! What's wrong with you?" she fumed, unable to hold it in anymore._

 _"Rach, I..." Ross said, sounding apologetic._

 _"Shut up! Just shut up! Do you have any idea what she went through when you took off like that?" Rachel asked, close to tears now._

 _"Please, I..." he pleaded, genuinely upset._

 _"She was bawling, literally bawling at the top of her lungs for you! She threw away everything I could offer... I've never seen her like that. And you act as if you don't even care?" she said, tears streaming down her eyes now._

 _Ross snapped on hearing her last statement._

 _"I DO CARE ABOUT HER! NOW WILL YOU PLEASE LISTEN TO ME?!" he shouted, managing to stun Rachel long enough to continue talking._

 _"I'm sorry, alright? I really am. Do you really think leaving her made me happy? I left because I simply had no choice!" he said, trying to make her understand._

 _"Oh really? Then why didn't you come to the party today?" Rachel asked, recovering._

 _"Rach, this is international travel we are talking about. Not intercity or something. I just..." Ross replied, but he was cut short by Rachel yet again._

 _"Just what?! Huh, just what?! Couldn't find time in your 'busy' schedule for your own daughter?" she asked, smirking as she did so._

 _There was a pause on the line before Ross came up with the classic 'offence is the best defence' strategy._

 _"How come I get all the blame?! Rachel, you haven't been in New York ever since you left 5 months ago. Don't you think it's about time?!" he debated._

 _"Well, I've been busy establishing my own life here, Ross! It's not like I've been hiking or something!" Rachel replied, although her voice slightly faltered towards the end._

 _"If you are so determined to 'establish your life', then it's obvious that you don't need me there, isn't it?" Ross asked, unable to mask the sadness of his voice._

 _"This isn't about me, Ross! It's about Emma! It's her who needs you so badly. Or did you miss that?" Rachel reflexively replied. But as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them, for they weren't entirely true._ _Hell, there wasn't even a bit of truth in them._

 _"So you mean to say that it's only her, huh? Wow, I'd thought that the old college queen Rachel Green had long gone. But, no! Here she is, back after more than 10 years." Ross said, his voice turning bitter._

 _"What's that supposed to mean? You take that back right now!" Rachel said, as the words stung her deep within._

 _'Really?!' she thought to herself._

 _She heard Ross exhale into the mouthpiece before he continued,_

 _"Rach, while you've been engrossed in 'establishing life' there, acting as though we ceased to exist, the others have had a hard time doing the same. Mon doesn't say it, but I sure as hell know that she misses you a lot. And so does Joey, Pheebs and Chandler." he said, sounding a lot more calmer and sincere than before._

 _Rachel nodded on the other end as couple more tears made their way down her nose. Maybe it was her daughter who had made her so vulnerable today, fir,to her surprise she ended up asking a question which she hadn't thought she would ever ask him._

 _"What about you?"_

 _"So do I Rach, I thought that was obvious! A day, nay not even an hour has gone by without me missing you. Or the time that we spent together." Ross replied, exuding nothing but honesty in his voice_

 _Neither of them could_ _recollect the last time they had felt so close to each other. For they had kept their distance ever since they has tried to 'establish' their own lives, talking only when necessary. The silence on the line seemed to stretch, but it wasn't an awkward pause anymore. Well.. atleast until Ross ended up saying_

 _"Not 'together' together per say, I just meant..."_

 _"I know, Ross. God, I've missed you a lot. And also Mon and everyone else. I'm really sorry if I hurt Mon by talking less to her. Does everyone think the same way?" Rachel asked, concerned._

 _"Same what?" Ross asked._

 _"Does everyone think that I've drifted apart?" she repeated, although she felt like she already knew the answer. Of course she had._

 _"What's there to think, Rach? You literally have." Ross stated, attempting to make light of the situation while confirming Rachel's doubts._

 _"I'm sorry. I guess I just went overboard." Rachel replied, truthfully regretting ditching her friends._

 _"Come to New York, Rach." Ross said, his voice laden with emotion._

 _"Come home."_

 _The last two words shook Rachel to the core as she began to feel sorry for both of them. Any moment now she could become the proud owner of a house in Paris. She had a life here now. How could she call New York her home?_

 _"I... I promise that I'll try my best, Ross. But New York... it isn't my home anymore."_

* * *

"But Rach, that's insane! I mean, how long are you gonna wait? What if... What if... it never happens?" Sam asked, pulling Rachel out of her reverie.

Rachel swirled around her glass in circles, watching the last few drops prance at the bottom as she bitterly said,

"Then I'll die alone."

If Sam had been shocked by Rachel's earlier response, then it was nothing in comparison to how she reacted now, as she physically double backed and ended up choking on her wine.

Rachel gently patted her back with a sad smile on her face, but as soon as Sam recovered, she pushed away Rachel's hand, wanting a justification for her statement instead.

"What?! What the hell are you saying?" she asked, coughing a bit.

"I'm saying that a lot of innocent people have been hurt because of us, Sam. That day, seeing Emma cry helplessly, it... it changed something inside of me. I mean... call it being a single mom or being on my own for so long... but I was finally able to see things from another perspective." Rachel said, realising that it was the first time she was saying it out loud.

"I realized that we simply couldn't let our relationship ruin other's lives. Not anymore. And that's precisely why I haven't dated anyone. I don't want to, because I know I'll end up hurting them. Because 'we' aren't 'over'. And maybe we'll never be. But only we will pay the price for that. Nobody else." she said, finding herself glad for finally revealing her reason for being single.

"So is that why you are afraid of going to New York? Because you are afraid you'll end up hurting you and your friends?" Sam asked, in a sympathetic manner.

"Actually, that's not the thing I'm most afraid of. The thing I'm most afraid of is hurting Emma. I'm dreading snatching away her image of a complete family after it's been given to her only for a span good enough so as to truly appreciate it's value." Rachel replied, while Sam just looked on, awestruck and rendered speechless.

* * *

 _Present day, 3,627 miles away..._

The occasional scratching of the pen against the paper was the only sound that the chamber had perceived since the past couple of hours. If it hadn't been for that, then the vacancy of the chamber would've been a reasonable assumption to make. For the office hours were already over and the night watchmen had taken guard, inspecting and shutting down every door that wasn't supposed to be open at these hours.

But seeing Ross Geller work after hours had been a common site since a long time. Ever since he had taken over the job as the HOD, he had earned the reputation of a hardworking fellow, one who took his job seriously.

Truth was, that it kept him occupied. For the mind was a fickle thing. If you don't give it something to feed on, then it wandered away on it's own. And that couldn't mean anything good.

"Sir?" came a voice from the door, preceded by a knock.

"Yes?" Ross asked, not looking up.

"I wanted to ask you whether you would be staying in the office or would you prefer heading to your quarters? For it's my duty to shut the department at midnight, Sir. And I won't be allowed to reopen the doors untill 6:00 in the morning." the guard asked from the other side.

 _'Midnight?! Shit!'_ Ross thought to himself as he glanced at his watch. 'Five past twelve' it proclaimed. He hadn't meant to stay in that long.

"I'll be out in ten minutes." Ross told him.

"Alright, Sir. I'll be waiting." he said and the words were followed by the sound of receding footsteps.

Ross yawned and stretched his limbs as he slowly got out of his chair and began packing the papers in his suitcase. Once he was done tidying the place, he cast another look at the golden clock above the mantlepiece.

 _'Twelve fifteen. Just eight more hours until flight AU 974 was scheduled to land at Newark airport.'_

And then it hit him. The wave which he had managed to keep at bay. The reason why he spent long hours in his office. The reason why his personal life had narrowed down to his closest friends and his son, Ben. Rachel Green, yet again.

Being physically away from her had made him realise that getting 'over' her was something he had never managed. And perhaps would remain something that he never would. Even as her words echoed in his mind,

 _'But New York... it isn't my home anymore'_

He still felt there was hope. That their story wasn't quite complete. And that tomorrow (or rather today, as it was already past twelve), a new chapter would be written.

No matter what happened, he had sworn that he wouldn't let another person be a casualty in their seemingly never ending relationship.

It was strange, indeed. Though physically seperated, their thoughts had never been more aligned. So, had they really drifted apart?

Or had they...

 **If you were confused, the last paragraph is actually a third person/narrative point of view, which has been very rare in this story.**

 **By the way, 3,627 miles is the flight distance between New York and Paris. I just googled it for adding a spin.**

 **So how did you find this format? It's most probably a one time thing, but I might just use it later on. And stay tuned, because it's gonna be interesting next chapter on.**


	9. Thanksgiving

**A/N:- Alert! (Only for those who've read my debut story, From Friends to Joey) :- You guys may spot a repetition of a joke. Sorry, but I just couldn't help putting it back here. However, if you don't spot it... Then I hope to get away with it! Cheers! ;)**

 **9.** **Thanksgiving**

 _"Here we are, sweetie!" a woman said to her two year old daughter who was sitting atop a suitcase, taking in the view all around her as several items held her fascination._

 _"New York City." said her mother, letting out a puff of air as she did so._

 _"You looking forward to meet your Daddy?" she asked, bending forwards such that her face was placed directly besides her daughter, who nodded vigorously, bouncing on her 'seat'._

 _She smiled at her daughter's excitement, but it wasn't as heartfelt as it could've been. For only she knew the extent to which her child had lost her charm progressively over the past month._

 _'Well... it's time.' she said to herself as she begun strolling her cart towards the arrivals hall._

* * *

"Ooh! Ooh! Is that her?" Phoebe asked, pointing towards an elderly blonde who was walking towards the exit, an adolescent girl tagging along with her, whilst strolling their luggage.

They had been waiting at the airport for almost half an hour now and were obviously on edge, what with Phoebe standing up with a jolt at the sight of any blonde woman.

"She's been gone for six months, Pheebs. Not six hundred." Chandler said, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"That's what you think. I know for a fact that time in Paris is different than the time in New York." Phoebe replied, sounding smug.

"There's a time difference Pheebs. Not a time travel." Ross said, turning to face her, amused.

"Oh really? Then how come does it take Rachel only four hours to arrive here from Paris, while it takes YOU twelve to reach there?" Phoebe challenged.

"Whoa! I didn't know that. Really?! That's so cool!" Joey exclaimed, his eyes wide as saucers.

"Now that, that's some solid evidence! That's why I'm telling you to keep your eyes open! She could look like anyone right now!" Phoebe said, saying her last few words with a whisper which were supposed to create an air of mystery and suspicion.

"On it!" said Joey, immediately narrowing his eyes into small slits, as though scanning the crowd.

"Look Pheebs, I've seen her barely a month ago and no, she doesn't look like that elderly woman, alright?! So cut it out." Ross reasoned, knowing it would take too long to explain Phoebe what a time zone actually meant.

Phoebe turned her gaze away from Ross whilst muttering something indiscernible which sounded suspiciously malignant.

As seconds gave way to minutes, the tension in the group reached it's peak and soon Monica could take it no more, becoming the first to stand up and start pacing around. She was followed shortly by others who also started looking around in all the directions, restless.

"Where is she, by the way? Her flight has been delayed by twenty minutes, but even then it should've landed a long time ago, right Ross?" Monica exclaimed, tearing her glance from the arrivals board to look at her brother.

Ross?" she asked, looking at him with concern.

It was only then when she noticed that for the previous half minute or so, Ross had frozen and his eyes had been focused on a particular subject heading roughly in their direction.

"I... I think that's her." Ross finally replied, sounding a little uncertain.

On hearing those words, everyone craned their neck to have a good look of the person Ross was looking at. Only then did they notice a woman of around Rachel's stature, with a small child atop her luggage cart, the woman herself looking like she was in her early middle ages.

Dressed in a business suit, she gave off an image of a powerful persona. At first. Though her gait and dress sense seemed to radiate energy, her face lacked that very element. For beneath that mask of a thick layer of foundation and other makeover hid a fatigued expression resembling of a person who had seen too much in too short a time. She seemed to have aged much more than the actual time period of just over six months, making others wonder whether Phoebe's absurd proclamation of a different time scale in Paris had a bit of truth to offer. For they could only stare at their once dear friend, dumbstruck, as she closed in on them.

Even though it had been only six months it felt like they hadn't seen her for sixty. Because somehow, Emma seemed way more recognisable than her mother.

Just then, her eyes found them and she let out a wide smile and waved, beginning to head swiftly towards them.

"Ooh boy, it IS her." Chandler said, not sure whether he should be happy or sad about it.

The others were completely in sync.

* * *

"So how have things been with you guys? Anything I've missed?" Rachel asked, looking at Joey as they sped down the interstate towards Westchester.

For a tight group of people who had spent ten solid years together, there was only one word which could possibly describe the current situation.

Awkward.

Because Rachel suddenly seemed like a stranger. A stand out. Sure, they had hugged, they had kissed. But everyone had a look that seemed to say...

 _'What the hell happened?'_

They all knew that Rachel had a story to tell. And that became even more obvious when it came to Ross. For the pair simply shared a look, and barely managed a small 'Hi', their looks flowing with pages of emotions. No hugs or kisses. But a myriad to convey. The only question was... _'Would they?'_

Perhaps. Now that atleast their physical distance was nullified for a few days. Not that it hadn't been the case six months ago.

As far as Emma was concerned, she had the best time of all. For she was passed around and showered with blessings and kisses, until she finally landed in the yearning arms of her father, with whom she stayed, hugging him with all the strength she had. Rachel simply looked on, her eyes a mixture of hurt and relief.

The gang had fallen silent ever since and had begun heading towards the passage leading them to the exit. In the parking lot, Rachel had barely noticed Ross's muscular SUV as she climbed into the shotgun seat. Nor had she observed the speedometer, which indicated that Ross's driving had become remarkably faster since the last time they had travelled together.

On hearing Rachel's question, everyone simply stared at each other, not knowing quite what to say. Or rather, where to start.

When nobody responded, she felt a sudden sense of suffocation that had nothing to do with the conditioner (which, by the way, was in optimum condition), and she decided to try yet again.

"Joey? How's DOOL goin'?" Rachel asked, in a way similar to Joey's _'How you doin'?_.

That had apparently been a wrong question to ask as was indicated by Chandler's wincing and Phoebe's 'Oh no..' accompanied with an eyeroll.

"They killed Drake. Again. And this time, they said it was for good!" Joey wailed, while Chandler patted him on the back.

Rachel's eyes widened in surprise as she raised a hand to her mouth, not expecting it.

"Oh Joey, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, genuinely upset.

"That's okay. I'm over it now." he said, while his voice seemed to disagree.

"No you are not!" Chandler exclaimed in a high pitched voice.

"I mean for God's sake, you live on the other side of the country!" he continued.

Rachel seemed even more surprised to hear this piece of information. But before she could react, Chandler said something that rendered her speechless.

"Who the hell does that just to 'get over' thi..." he said trailing towards the end, biting his tongue as he suddenly realised it's implications, while Monica shot daggers at him, furious.

And just like that the silence regained it's realm over the gang.

 _'People who want to make a fresh start, Chandler.'_ Rachel said in her mind.

Phoebe shot a sideways glance at Rachel, feeling sorry for her. She decided it was about time that she did what she was good at. Creating a diversion.

"Speaking about missing things, I've got something very important to tell you." she said.

Everyone turned to look at her, looking expectantly.

"I'm pregnant. And this time I get to keep the baby!" she said excitedly.

There was a pandemonium as everyone seemed to speak at once, either congratulating her or asking her some leading question. Rachel suddenly found herself almost laughing in relief and happiness alike. So atleast there was SOMETHING new for ALL of them.

Amidst the rounds of 'Congratulations' Joey had a question to ask.

"Wait a second, Pheebs. How the hell is this related to missing something?"

Everyone shot an amused glance at Joey, who slowly seemed to realise what had Phoebe 'missed'.

"Oh. Sorry!" Joey said, reddening as he did so.

The atmosphere suddenly relaxed and all the tension that had hung in the air for the past few minutes dissipated as the gang began chattering, becoming it's original self. Soon, they found themselves in the driveway of Chandler and Monica's home and began stepping out of the car, eager for the festivities.

While all were busy talking, Phoebe slyly made her way towards Rachel and whispered in her ear,

"You know, I actually found out that I was pregnant two weeks ago."

Rachel looked at her with confusion.

"Then why didn't you tell us before?"

"I was waiting for the perfect time." Phoebe replied, shrugging.

Rachel smiled at her friend, who suddenly seemed to focus on Monica who was unlocking the front door.

"Plus, I really didn't want you to feel left out." she added as an afternote and passing her a brief smile before hurrying towards the door which was now open.

Rachel could only look at her as she went inside, her eyes filled with gratitude.

Perhaps it wasn't too late after all, she thought. Maybe she could still make amends.

* * *

"Hey! I've got one!" Rachel exclaimed from her seat, as they all sat enjoying a scrumptious meal, the courtesy of their all time host, Monica.

"Do you remember the time when we were all locked outside our apartment and were arguing which one of us was responsible for forgetting the keys?" she asked, as she spooned through her dessert.

There was a chorus of 'Hear, hear' and smirks were passed along the table as they all reminisced the Thanksgiving exactly ten years ago, the first they had spent together as a group of six.

After the topic of Phoebe's pregnancy had exhausted, they had begun a random round of recollecting the precious memories of their past. And that had successfully numbed the present, all the questions dissolving in a heap of yummy food and spicy gossip.

"The Turkey got burnt! And it was the first time I had made it in the apartment!" Monica exclaimed.

"And the first time I didn't get to eat it!" Joey said, with a tone that suggested that he still felt bad about it.

"The Potatoes were ruined!" said Phoebe, joining in.

"My Skiing got cancelled!" Rachel wailed.

"It was the day I found out that Ben kicked whenever Susan read stories to him. But he didn't kick when I did the same." Ross said, smiling at the memory.

Everyone now turned themselves to look at Chandler, expecting him to say something sad about the day.

"Don't look at me! It was the best Thanksgiving I ever had. Nobody got to celebrate it! What more could I have asked for?" he said, to which everyone rolled their eyes.

"By the way, who was responsible? We never actually solved the argument, did we?" Phoebe asked.

Monica and Rachel were about to blame each other, when Ross's response caught them off guard.

"I think it was Monica." he said, out of the blue.

"WHAT?!" Monica exclaimed, apparently shocked.

Rachel too raised her eyes in surprise, not quite expecting it.

"Thank you." she said sweetly, realising all of a sudden that it was actually the first time they had had an exchange ever since their arrival in Westchester.

Chandler, Phoebe and Joey shot glances at each other, waiting eagerly to see how the debate progressed.

"Can you explain?" Monica asked. "I very clearly asked her..."

"The way you asked her whether she had 'got the keys', was a bit hurried, making it sound more like a statement. You should have told her to 'Get the keys' instead. That would've been better. It had been unreasonable to assume that she would have the keys on her, seeing as she was inside her apartment, just like you. Also, you ran away immediately later, not actually bothering to listen to the answer. That does suggest a lack of responsibility." Ross rattled. By the time he was finished, Monica had no answer with the exception of a slightly slack jaw.

Nobody said anything for a while, as they all were awestruck by the response.

"Hang on! You weren't even there! How can you say all this with so much certainity?" Monica challenged.

"Yeah! She's right!" Phoebe exclaimed, while the rest let out murmurs of assent. Rachel too looked at Ross, her eyes inquisitive.

Ross blushed deeply before he acknowledged the reason.

"Well... The night when all this happened, Rachel told me everything. All the bits." he said. "Because she felt guilty of ruining not only her's but everyone's Thanksgiving. After listening to her I assured her that it wasn't her fault." he continued, flushing even more.

Rachel could only stare at him dumbstruck, as their eyes met across the table. How the hell did he remember something so insignificant that had happened such a long time ago?! And they hadn't even been dating back then. But before their moment could lead to anything substantial, Monica intervened.

"So you are going in accordance to her version? Of course she must have falsified the events!"

"Hey!" Rachel exclaimed, her trance breaking.

Chaos resumed on the table as Monica and Rachel began arguing as though that was all that really mattered, while the others simply egged them on, eager for a catfight.

"ROSS!" Phoebe suddenly screamed, amidst the calls of 'Monica', 'Rachel' and 'fight! fight!'.

"What?" Ross asked, perplexed. "I wasn't even there!" he exclaimed meekly.

Phoebe rolled her eyes as she offered an explanation

"No, it's not that! I really don't care about those stupid keys! Mike has an event in the city and I have to be there in an hour."

"And what does that have to do with me?" Ross asked, perplexed.

"You are going to drive me there, of course!" she said, as though it was obvious.

"No, I'm not!" Ross repied, annoyed. His new job gave him much less time to spend with his friends and family, and so he usually did make the most of it. And then there was Emma. And... And... Rachel.

"Do you really want to anger a pregnant woman?" Phoebe asked, annoyed.

Ross winced, more because he didn't want to annoy a pregnant Pheebs, who could be ten times worser than any pregnant woman on the planet, even when she wasn't one.

"Well... It seems like I gotta get goin'." he finally said, to no one in particular.

A round of _'Yeah'_ went round the table, while Monica added a 'Drive safe!'

Rachel suddenly felt an outburst of rage towards Phoebe as she had ruined their moment. So it was quite sometime before she noticed that Ross had been asking her something.

"Huh?" she asked, snapping out of her trance.

"You coming, Rach?" he repeated politely.

Rachel's brain seemed to be in a dizzy as she analysed several aspects at once.

 _1\. She wanted to talk with Ross. Alone._

 _2\. She also had to chat with Monica and the rest and make up for her absence._

 _3\. Both her heart and her brain knew that they wanted No.1 much more than No.2._

 _4\. But they also knew that No.1 was going to be much more difficult and could go either ways. Whereas No.2 had a guaranteed safety net, a casual, comfortable exchange. Or so she thought._

 _5\. So which one to pick? Her brain said No.1, while her heart said No.2_

"Errrmm... No. Mon and I have got a lot to catch up on." was what she ended up saying.

 _6\. In a fight between the heart and the brain, the latter rarely wins._

If Ross felt disappointed by her response, he surely didn't show it, as he simply shrugged and asked.

"Okay... You will be coming at my place tonight though, right?"

 _Maybe tomorrow?_

"Actually, you know what? I might stay here for the night." she said. Her decision took everyone by surprise as they had expected things to become smoother after that trip down memory lane. Perhaps not. Perhaps it ran much deeper.

"No problem, right?" she asked, looking at Chandler.

"Oh no. WE have no problems with that!" he replied, emphasing on the 'We'.

This time Monica did not admonish him, as she stared at Rachel as though trying to figure her out.

"Okay. If it's fine by you guys, it's fine by me." Ross replied.

Yet again, his body language was oddly neutral.

Phoebe rose from the table, and so did Ross, picking up Emma from her chair as he did so.

"Hey... Whoa... What do you think you are doing?" Rachel asked, a bit of a panic obvious in her voice.

"Going home?..." Ross stated, looking at her curiously.

"Yeah. But Emma?" asked Rachel.

"Of course she's coming with me!" he said, sounding just a tad annoyed. "Daddy has missed you so much!" he added in a baby voice to Emma, who had zoned out, obviously tired out by the long flight and the heavy meal.

"Leave her here with me tonight Ross. Please!" she pleaded.

Ross simply looked at her before saying,

"No."

Rachel was shocked by his response while the others seemed mildly alarmed at his tone.

"You are going to have her for the next few months, Ross. It's the least you can do." Rachel said, sounding a bit bolder this time.

Ross's 'cool guy' attitude seemed to thaw with every word he said.

"THE LEAST? Really?" You've already had her for five months Rach, all by yourself! Don't be so unreasonable!" he replied, displaying a hint of his anger for the first time.

"Unreasonable?! Since when does asking to be with your daughter for just one night sound unreasonable? The last time I checked it was a perfectly reasonable request." Rachel said, standing up from her chair.

"Reasonable would've been you coming with me to my place so that Emma got to be with both of her parents, Rachel." Ross replied, glaring at her.

"Oh really? Well, seeing that Monica and Chandler have kindly accepted my request to stay over, I really don't see that happening." Rachel said, folding her arms against her chest as she did so.

"Hey! Don't pull us into your argument!" Chandler said, panicking.

"And hold on! Stop this right now, I say!" shouted Monica.

Both Ross and Rachel turned to look angrily at her.

"WHAT?!"

"If you two are going to fight yet again, then the first thing you do is get out of this kitchen. The last time this happened, we were stuck in the bedroom the whole time and were reduced to eating wax. I'm not going to let that happen again!" she admoinshed, receiving support from the others.

"And also the bathroom. Because I'll be needing access to it every half hour. And I DO NOT want to hear a shouting rally everytime I do so!" Phoebe exclaimed.

"What? Phoebe, you don't get bladder problems until you reach second trimester. And you must be at what, eight weeks?" Ross asked.

"Oh shut up! You are not even a real doctor, anyways!" she retorted.

"She does have a point." Chandler said, before he got the death glare from Ross.

"I'm not going anywhere until this is sorted out!" he exclaimed.

"Neither am I!" Rachel said, shortly later.

"Oh look! You two finally agreed on something. Isn't that great?" Joey asked, only to receive another glare, this time from Rachel.

And with that, the gang was reduced to watching their argument like a Tennis rally, simply looking from one person to the other.

"Why do you wanna stay here anyways? Why don't you just go to some hotel instead, huh?!" Ross asked, getting back to the topic.

"I want to catch up with my best friends, for God's sake." Rachel replied, fuming.

"And WHAT?! Why the hell would I go to some hotel?" she added, confused.

There was a detectable pauss before Ross replied in an eerily composed voice,

"Because New York isn't your home anymore."

The gravity of the statement was profound as was indicated by the facial expressions on the rest of the group, all of which indicated varying levels of shock and confusion.

Rachel, in the meanwhile had suddenly reduced to tears, which were threatening to flow from the eyes.

"Isn't that right, Rach?" Ross asked, in that same quiet whisper.

"Ross... I..." Rachel started, but found herself at a loss of words.

"Rachel Karen Green, the woman who always wears her heart on her sleeve didn't think twice before applying for a job thousands of miles away. Nor did she comprehend the finality of buying a house. She even discarded her friends, disowning her own town in a matter of months. And now, here she is, telling me what is reasonable and what is not." Ross said.

Monica was about to intervene upon seeing Rachel's state, but something made her refrain herself. For even she couldn't deny that Ross did have a good point.

"Have you got any answer to that, Rachel?" Ross asked.

Rachel begun shaking as the tears finally began to flow.

"Have you?" he asked again, in a much softer voice, the voice that he had always reserved for her and her only.

Rachel's frame grew smaller and smaller and everyone begun feeling sorry for her, including Ross.

"I thought so." he said, sadly as he continued looking at her almost pitiably.

To everyone's surprise, he gently placed a sleeping Emma besides Rachel and then, passing a final look at the pair, he headed out of the kitchen.

Ross had almost reached the main door, until he became aware of the fact that Rachel had followed him into the living room. Hand on the knob, he had opened the door halfway through before her reply practically paralyzed him.

"It's because I still love you" she said, in a quiet whisper which was barely audible.

"What?" Ross asked, refusing to believe his ears.

"It's... bbecause I love you.." she repeated, breaking down.

Slowly, Ross closed the door before he turned to Rachel and said,

"Well... You've got a strange way of saying it, Rach. Because guess what? I love you too. But I didn't moved four thousand miles away to prove it. Quite the contrary, in fact. I let you go instead." he said, his eyes finally finding hers.

To her and everyone's (heads had begun poking from the wall seperating the two rooms.) surprise, Ross opened the door yet again and quietly left the scene, leaving behind a broken Rachel.

Still reeling, the gang entered the living room, hesitantly at first. As all gathered around Rachel, Phoebe voiced everyone's thoughts.

"What just happened?"

 **There you go! :)**

 **In case you got a bit confused, the parts in italics were actually excerpts from Rachel's mind.** **Except for the first scene.**

 **By the way, I know that 'the brain' and 'the heart' thing does sound cheesy, especially when it comes from a person like me, who is a medical student by profession. I should know better than that, right? Anyways... thought that went well..**


	10. Two birds, one stone

**A/N:- Sorry for the delay! Got caught up in college exams and stuff... I'll try to update sooner next time as a compensation.**

 **L** **et's get started! I hope the chapter makes up for it.** **BTW, a part of it is a little factual and nerdy.** **I hope it doesn't bore you that much.**

 **10\. Two** **birds, one stone**

"Hello?" asked Rachel as she picked up the receiver.

Oh, hey Mon!" she exclaimed, after recognising the voice on the other end.

Speaking about the other end, Monica was surprised by the cheerful tone of Rachel's voice.

It had been almost two weeks since Rachel had taken her leave from New York, and that had been in a rather unceremonious way. For she had left the very next morning, booking her ticket at the last minute, her fare almost thrice of what it should've been. To make matters worse, this time it had been her brother who had not responded to her calls, a thing that surprisingly did not drive her up the wall, having recently endured the same from another party.

Long story short, it seemed like Ross and Rachel had descended into a phase of stalemate, confessing their love yet doing nothing that improved their current scenario.

"Looks like someone's feeling cheery today..." Monica stated, wondering if she was missing something.

"Yeah! I'm actually in a pretty good mood today!" Rachel exclaimed, as she carried the receiver in the crook of her neck, so as to continue working simultaneously.

' _Well... That's weird!_ ' thought Monica

"Something good happened?" asked Monica, in the midst of a loud clatter on the other end.

"What? Sorry, I didn't catch that." Rachel said, her voice pierced yet again by a crackle and a hiss.

"What's all that noise?" Monica asked, distracted.

"Oh, I'm sautéing vegetables right now." Rachel clarified as she continued stirring the contents.

 _'What the hell?!'_

"You... are _cooking_?" Monica asked, struck by the absurdity of the statement.

"Yes. Hey! Don't be so judgemental!" Rachel said, while letting out an awkward chuckle.

"I'm not!" Monica exclaimed. Then, as she realised that she was indeed being one, she came up with a comeback.

"Well, it's only because it's YOU Rach. I mean, come on!" she said. "The last time I've seen you cook you landed up with a dish that was nauseating for anyone except Joey. And he really doesn't count."

Rachel had to laugh before she replied, "What if I were to tell you that I can now cook a perfectly edible pasta and that too without looking in the cookbook?"

"Hmm... Seems like something that I'll have to see by myself before I can believe it." Monica replied, smiling herself.

"Sure! Hey! Why don't you guys come over for Christmas? It's barely two weeks away!" Rachel asked.

Monica seemed to contemplate before she replied, her voice trailing awkwardly towards the end.

"Errmm... I don't know Rach. It would be pretty difficult to manage. And seeing that it's our first Christmas over here, I kinda wanted to spend it at home, you know..."

"Oh. Okay. No problem. A rain check it is then huh?" Rachel asked, the image of the 'Bing' household suddenly flashing in her mind, complete with a snow laden Christmas tree and a house, like an ideal Christmas card.

"Yeah. Sure." Monica replied.

Few seconds passed by, during which neither knew quite what to say, until Monica's burning curiosity finally made her ask the question which had been bothering her since the moment they had started conversing.

"Rach?" she asked.

"Yes?" came the reply.

"Have you guys talked after... you know... I mean... you know who I mean by..." Monica said, not quite able to complete the sentence.

Only a few months prior, their friendship had been so close that they could have talked about any topic in the whole damn world without worrying even the slightest about what the other might think. Now, however, the things had changed. Monica wasn't sure that she really knew Rachel anymore.

"Yes, I know. And no, we haven't talked." Rachel replied.

"So?... What now?" came the question from the other end.

Turning off the stove, Rachel rested herself on the kitchen counter as she replied, her eyes never leaving the pan.

"Honestly... I don't know, Mon. What I do know is that I'm glad we finally put it out in the open. That we are finally on the same page. And I'm having a feeling that things can only get better from here."

* * *

The digital clock on the bedside table began it's daily morning ritual of beeping it's owner awake as it proclaimed '6AM' in it's red LED display. Today however, that hadn't been necessary for he had laid awake since a long time, simply waiting for it to beep.

Ross dismissed the alarm and stretched himself in the bed, almost eager for the day to begin. It was not like that the day promised anything exciting to look forward to, rather, it was just the longing of getting out of the bed and marking the end of yet another restless, sleepless night.

Looking at the window, which had only just begun to show hints of pink and orange near the horizon, Ross reflected on his past two weeks. They had been pretty average, except for the presence of his daughter, who did make him smile more often. Apparently, the two year old was now getting used to the idea that she could be with only one of her parents at any given time. And so she had been asking lesser and lesser for her mother, becoming more and more broody instead. Or maybe she had simply taken a page out of her parents' book and decided to keep mum.

His inaction in the past two weeks hadn't been intentional. He had just been unable to say or do anything, dismissing everything that came to mind. And he suspected that Rachel was going through the same. Unable to figure out what exactly to do. Or say.

Sighing, he got up and headed to the kitchen to make some coffee for himself. In the process, he switched on his laptop, to check his morning mail, as had been his routine ever since he became HOD.

Five minutes later, as Ross bent over the laptop, sure enough there were many waiting for his attention. Fortunately, only two of those were marked as _'Important'_.

The first mail came from the agency which had granted Ross a research grant a year ago. A grant for which he had had to sacrifice his girlfriend, Charlie. As Ross continued to read the mail, his frown grew more and more pronounced. For his grant amount, which was a whopping six figure, was threatened to get lapsed if he didn't put it to use within the next three months.

Great. That was exactly what he had wanted. More fuel in the fire which was already rampant.

Disturbed, he moved on to the next mail which was a newsletter from the Paleontology Society, informing about the latest excavation undertaken by the CNRS and the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in the Audoin quarries. The site promised great potential of possibly uncovering one of the largest fossils ever.

Ross blinked at the screen before he began reading the mail again, this time with a fresh vigour. The mail was basically meant for recruiting expert Paleontologists across the world, albeit it was supposed to be at their own costs.

He stared hard at the computer screen, the gears of his brain finally groaning into action as the caffeine kicked in.

Could he possibly kill two birds with a single stone?

* * *

Rachel idly gazed at the magazine which she had grabbed along with her 'groceries' from the nearest supermarket. Two containers of take away food littered the table, waiting to be dispatched into the bin.

As much as she had bragged to Monica about cooking her own meal, it was something which had proved rather difficult to master. So far, she had barely managed to cook a few varieties of pasta and salads and that too rarely went well. Apart from that, however, she had become pretty self-sufficient, a skill which you do learn when you are on your own for so long. Especially when there's a person dependent on you.

Rachel flipped the page of the magazine, which now displayed a fabulous, polished wooden interior. She imagined having it in her own home, the varnish glistening even better in the dimmed lights studded within the false ceiling, creating a rich, soothing ambience. Yet, she knew that it could never quite sooth her. For she knew exactly what was the element that would be missing.

The Christmas card flashed again in front of her eyes, as it had been flashing almost every other minute since her conversation with Monica earlier in the morning. Monica and Chandler engaged in a furious snow fight, supported by their kids Jack and Erica, who were a couple of over-energetic five year olds in her mind.

Sam had been right to say that a house gave a sense of freedom and a sense of a new beginning. But, she had evidently missed out on something much more important.

It didn't make that place _home_.

Rachel gently folded the magazine and laid it aside, her eyes now focusing on the landline. Truth be told, the reason why she hadn't contacted Ross had been because she was afraid that he wouldn't want to talk to her. So she thought it was better if they got some space. She didn't want their emotions to get better of themselves as they always had.

Today, however, seemed like a good time to try. And hence, crossing her fingers Rachel began dialing Ross's number, tapping her feet in apprehension.

* * *

Ross had only just finished filing an application, when he heard the phone ring . Getting up from the table, he headed to receive it. Eyebrows raised, he smiled amusingly at the ID.

 _Impeccable_ timing he thought as he picked up the call. He didn't know why, but he wanted Rachel to speak first. Apparently, so did she and hence the silence stretched for a few long seconds. Finally, Rachel caved.

"Hello?" she asked, a bit anxiously.

"Hey." he replied, in reassurance.

The notorious pause resumed it's realm yet again as they both found themselves lacking the words necessarily to express their thoughts.

"So how's things?" Rachel asked, trying yet again.

Ross let out a chuckle at her attempt to make normal conversation. Nevertheless, he replied.

"Pretty great, actually. Emma does liven up the space here. It's been comforting to have her around."

"Yeah. She does." Rachel replied, smiling at the memory of her daughter. "Is she awake?"

"I'm afraid not. It's just past seven here after all." said Ross, absently gazing towards the bedroom where she lay peacefully.

"Oh. Right." Rachel replied, disappointment obvious in her voice. "Well, give her my love."

"Sure. Will do." Ross said, nodding in acceptance. After another awkward silence, Ross continued

"By the way, speaking about things, you remember that grant I received last year?"

"Yeah. Vividly." Rachel replied, smirking, as she recollected the drama behind it. But how was that related to anything?

Answering her doubts, Ross continued.

"Well, guess what? I just filed in an application for the grant to be used on a six month field research in Audoin quarries."

Now Rachel grew even more confused.

"Oh... Good for you!" was all that she could come up with.

Ross smiled at her response.

 _Typical Rachel_ , he thought. If only she had known where the Audoin quarries were located, her reaction would've been very different.

"The CNRS and FNHM are organising it and it promises to uncover one of the greatest dinosaur fossils ever known to mankind!" he said, sounding excited at the prospect.

"That's great news." Rachel replied, although her voice lacked the excitement, sounding more on the lines of clueless.

"Errm... so that's me. How have you been?" Ross asked.

"I've been... pretty good too." she replied, her voice faltering a bit. "In fact, I had just been glancing through various interior designs, thinking which would suit the new house."

"Oh yeah! That must've kept you busy, right?" Ross asked.

"Yeah. Pretty much." Rachel replied, shrugging.

As both the parties seemed at a loss of what to say, Ross finally decided to face the elephant in the room.

"Are we just going to pretend as though nothing happened? Because if we do that, then it'll be.." he began.

But before he could continue, Rachel chimed in, taking him by surprise.

"It'll be just like us?"

"Yes." Ross replied, gratefully.

"I'm sorry, Ross. I really am. I really shouldn't have left like that. And I am not simply refering to me leaving two weeks ago, you know. I mean like 'leaving' leaving." Rachel said, the words streaming faster with every syllable she spoke.

"It's okay." Ross replied. "I'm sorry, too."

"No, it's not okay, Ross! It's so goddamn NOT!" Rachel said heatedly, springing up to her feet.

"We've lost the chance of becoming a family, Ross! Doesn't that bother you?" she asked, tears springing to her eyes.

"In about six months time, I'll be having a house. But I won't be having a home." she said, letting out a sob as the realisation became much more real.

Hearing Rachel say those words resolved whatever doubts that Ross had about his latest actions.

"We may not have lost the chance totally, Rach." he said.

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked, surprised.

"Do you know exactly where the Audoin quarries are located?" he asked.

"No." she replied, not quite getting how it was related.

"They are close to the town of Angeac in Charente."

 _Charente_... why did the name sound so familiar to her?

Sensing that Rachel was still nonplussed, Ross continued.

"Charente comes in Southwestern France, about a five hour drive from Paris."

That was why! She remembered seeing the name vaguely on the map of France, something which she had enthusiastically buyed in her first week in Paris, yet had hardly ever spared the time to actually study it.

"Does that mean..." Rachel asked, only beginning to realise the implications.

"It'll only be for six months. And I'll hardly ever get to be in Paris. But still..." Ross said.

"It's a start." said Rachel, finishing the sentence for him.

"Yeah. It's a start." Ross replied, nodding in agreement.

"So when will you be coming?" Rachel asked, suddenly looking forward to it.

"Errmm... I don't know. Could take a month I suppose. The application has to go through various departments and many different formalities before it's approved and I actually start packing." he said.

"Oh." Rachel replied, her shoulders slumping in disappointment.

"What happened?" Ross asked, sensing her off-beat tone.

"Seems like I'll be spending Christmas alone after all." she said, sounding bitter.

Only now did she realise that it was going to be the first Christmas which she would be spending alone. She had never been alone at this time of the year. It had always been either friends or family. This time neither her New York friends nor her Paris ones would be with her as all would be engaged in enjoying the festivities with their families.

 _Guess I have to pay the price after all_ , she thought, believing that she indeed deserved it.

"Maybe not." came Ross's voice from the other end as she wallowed in self pity.

"Really?!" Rachel asked, beaming as a child would.

"Hey! It's a maybe. For I'll have a lot of on my hands now, what with appointing an ad-hoc HOD and stuff. So don't get carried away." he chided, smiling as he did so.

"I won't." Rachel promised, although she knew it was one which she wouldn't be able to keep.

Just then, Ross's doorbell rang, ending their moment and the blissful peace that had finally settled on both sides.

"Guess I gotta go. See you soon." Ross replied, only half mocking as he did so.

"Alright. Love you." Rachel said, smirking as she did so.

"Love you too." Ross replied.

And for the first time in a really long time they meant it in the exact same sense.

As Rachel kept down the receiver, the Christmas card flashed yet again. Only this time it was she and Ross snowfighting, while Emma threw snow randomly in turns, laughing as they hit their target.

She knew she was taking it too far. She knew that they had a lot to talk through and a lot to go through before any of that could become a reality.

But... It was a start.

 **Fact file:- Audoin quarries in Angeac, Charente is a very real excavation site in Southwest France from where the coordinated efforts of CNRS and French National History Museum unearthed one of the richest collections of dinosaur fossils in France. The only glitch here is that the excavation began in 2010, and I don't know whether any Americans were involved. So yeah, that part is just me.**

 **Plus I don't know how the grants are actually used. So excuse me if there are any obvious flaws over there.**

 **So that's it! Stay tuned! :)**


	11. A start

**Hey everyone!**

 **Well... what can I say... because really nothing can justify leaving you guys without an update for 8 months straight. Hence, I am simply apologising for my erratic behaviour, hoping that you can find it in your hearts to forgive me.**

 **And dear guest reviewer, whoever you are, I am really grateful that you didn't give up on me... until atleast July, that is. Hopefully you are still around, for I do owe credit to faithful readers like you for putting up with me. Just so you know, I did want to reassure you, but since you aren't registered, I had no way to do so.**

 **On the bright side though, this story is now almost complete. I'll now regularly update every week and get this story completely published in a month. That's a promise.**

 **Let's get started! :)**

 **11.** **A start**

"So does that mean that I finally get to see him?!" Sam asked Rachel as they made themselves comfortable on the couch in the living room.

"Yes. It does." she replied, smiling fondly at Sam's enthusiasm.

December had almost bade farewell by now, leaving the city with a thin trail of snow which was a rarity in itself. There was an air of festivity all around what with Christmas just over and the excitement of a new year just around the corner. People were busy spending time either at home or flocking around famous tourist places. Regardless, they were with their families. So it came quite as a pleasant surprise to Rachel when Sam made an appearance at her doorstep, with a plum cake and a bottle of wine in her hands. _'Thought I'd just drop by!'_ she had said. But Rachel knew why Sam had really 'dropped' by for. And she was very grateful for the same.

"It's a pity he couldn't make it to Christmas though." Sam said, cutting a piece of cake for herself.

"Yeah... But he'll be here for New year's! I mean what better day could there possibly be to make a new start, right?" Rachel asked, smiling soulfully.

"True that. Here's to a better tomorrow" Sam replied, raising her glass for a toast.

"To a better tomorrow!" Rachel exclaimed, in unison.

 _'And to the even better day afters'_ she thought, bringing the glass back to her lips.

* * *

"Uh oh." Ross said as he lifted the third and thankfully the last baggage off the carousel. This had been the first time that Ross had ended up paying extra money for his baggage. To be fair though, not all the goods he was carrying were his own. Especially not the one which was now rattling suspiciously as he placed it on his trolley.

Having a nasty feeling about the same, Ross opened the bag to confirm his suspicions.

Yup, he was right. His luggage had been manhandled.

"Damn it!" he said, mentally cursing the people responsible for it.

"Crockery?! What the hell was Mon thinking, anyways?" he thought to himself, shaking his head in regret.

He really would have liked to have 'a talk' with the airline and the airport staff, but his conscience reminded him that he had much more pressing issues to deal with. And so, grudgingly, he slowly began labouring his way through the crowd towards the arrivals where he would finally greet... Rachel.

* * *

"God! I'm so excited!" Sam exclaimed, while hopping on the spot like a kid waiting for their favourite store to open.

"You've said that atleast 10 times since the last half hour." Rachel said, while passing a bemused look at her friend.

"Yes, but I can't help myself! I mean, you two, finally getting together. It's just so... romantic, you know! It's almost like a movie or something." Sam said, her voice bubbling with excitement.

"Did I ever tell you that you remind me of a younger version of myself?" Rachel asked, smirking at her friend.

"Duh! Like, ten times already!" Sam replied, rolling her eyes in exasperation. All of a sudden though, her expressions changed as a rather serious look crept up on her face.

"Oh look! That's him, isn't it?" she asked, her eyes following a man who had just entered the arrivals section, while carrying a rather large amount of baggage for just him and a small child atop his cart.

It did not take Rachel too long to realise who Sam was talking about. For she was way too familiar with the figures to miss them.

"Yes. That's him." she replied, her eyes turning a shade or rather shades, deeper.

* * *

The moment their eyes met, Ross forgot all about his irritation at the airport staff, his legs now working harder than before.

"Mommy!" squealed Emma, pointing at her mother with a newfound excitement.

"Yes, honey. We are going to mommy." Ross said, reassuring his daughter and turning his trolley a bit to the right so that he could reach Rachel through the shortest possible path.

The airport, however is not a place where one can simply cut across the distance. And hence, he had to go through several nudges, curses and a full head on collision with an old woman before he finally made through. These things only looked good in movies, he mused. For they were certainly much more messier in person.

"Ross." said Rachel, as soon as Ross's trolley came to a halt a few feet away, while Sam watched the scene with rapt attention.

"Rach." Ross replied, unable to say anything else either.

"Happy new year" she offered, the words coming out in a hurry.

"Happy new year, Rach." Ross replied, still rooted in his spot.

For a moment they just stood there, not knowing quite what to say to each other. Because words simply couldn't convince the emotions they had kept locked in for so long.

Tentatively, Ross took a step closer to her. Rachel did the same, her eyes turning moist and the gap between them reducing to mere inches.

And then it happened. The thing which they had almost done twice in the past six months but not quite.

Closing in, their lips finally met, giving away all the urgency and longing they had held dear for all these months. All of it culminating in a moment which they never wanted to end.

But it had to, more out of their state of breathlesstness than anything factor. That and of course, this one more, tiny little thing.

"So anytime you feel like attending your child, you give me a call, alright?" Sam said, whose expressions had changed from adoring to admonishing.

Embarrassed, they both looked away from each other to see Sam holding a fidgeting Emma who was both confused and hurt by her mother's ignorance.

"Aww sweetie! I'm so sorry!" Rachel said as she lifted Emma up in her arms and consoling her.

"And you must be..." Ross said, turning to face her.

"Sam." she replied, extending her hand.

"Oh right. I have heard quite a lot about you." Ross replied as he accepted the handshake.

"You have?!" Sam asked, enthused.

"Yeah." Ross replied, smiling at her genuine childishness. But then his expressions sobered as he said,

"Thank you for taking care of her. You know, while..." he tapered, feeling a bit awkward.

Sam simply nodded her head saying,

"You don't have to thank me, Ross. After all, that's what friends are for."

* * *

"Ouch! Shit!" Rachel exclaimed, while holding a finger which was bleeding at an alarming rate.

She had simply taken to unpacking the luggage and had only just opened the first of quite a few boxes when her fingers were greeted with a very sharp object. Or rather, objects.

"What happened?" Ross asked, who had bursted out of the shower on hearing her exclaim in agony.

"What happened is that I got cut by one of those extremely sharp objects you had hidden in that box!" Rachel said, while holding her injured hand in the other.

"Oh my God!" Does it hurt?" he asked, once he saw Rachel's bloodshot fingers.

Rachel was about to say something rude when she caught the amount of concern on his face. It reminded her of their 'good, carefree' times all those years ago. So she simply ended up nodding in agreement instead.

"Hang on. I think I have got it here. I always carry a first aid kit with me while travelling. Especially on a long journey such as this." Ross said, as he hurried towards one of his bags and swiftly unzipped several compartments.

"Aha!" he said, getting lucky the fourth time.

Rachel managed a small smile, admiring Ross's usual 'preparedness' for such times. In no time, Ross approached her with a roll of gauze, some cotton and a bottle of antiseptic solution. These were things that Rachel hadn't even thought of purchasing even though she was living here for the past seven months and had been through more than a dozen visits to the local supermarket.

"There you go. Let your hand cleanse under the tap first, and then we'll get on with this. Okay?" He asked, looking at her as one would while explaining a kid.

"Okay." Rachel said, positively giggling. Getting cut didn't turn out so bad after all. She enjoyed being babied by Ross. Until he became a little too overbearing, that is.

Once she was done, Ross gently wiped her hand dry and inspected it for any embedded pieces of glass. Fortunately, there were none. As he begun applying the antiseptic, Rachel said

"I have to ask... Why the hell did you pack shards of glass in your bag? Was this a part of some sort of an anti-theft strategy or what?"

Puzzled, Ross looked at her in confusion before he said,

"What? No! I don't do things like that!" he exclaimed.

Rachel raised an eyebrow, seriously doubting it, which made Ross look away and resume dressing Rachel's wound.

"Well... atleast not anymore. Before that stupid airline manhandled it, it was a decent set of crockery. It was Mon's Christmas present to you." he said

"You've brought presents?!" When were you planning on telling me that?" Rachel exclaimed, now suddenly eager for Ross to be done with the bandage.

"Once I got out of the shower." he replied, now tying the last knot and inspecting his handiwork. Satisfied, he looked up and said,

"But I guess it should have been obvious. Why else do you think I had so much baggage?"

That made Rachel frown.

"I don't think it was. For I had more baggage than you." she said, a tad annoyed.

"Yes, but you see, unlike you I don't own fifty pairs of shoes." Ross replied, smirking.

"I don't own fifty pairs of shoes!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Oh yeah? Then how many do you own?" Ross challenged.

"47." Rachel replied, in a much smaller voice than before.

This time, it was Ross who raised an eyebrow.

"Did you include the bathroom slippers?" he asked.

Quite a few moments passed before Rachel said,

"No"

"Uh huh. Your gym shoes?" Ross asked, knowing just the type of loopholes Rachel's answer had.

This time the pause was definitely longer.

"No"

Ross's smirk was growing wider with every passing moment.

"And those funky sandl.."

Rachel had no choice.

"Alright! Alright! You know me too well." she said, giving up while Ross chuckled at her frustration.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked, the playfulness in his voice replaced by a serious undertone.

"Not much. Thanks." Rachel replied, smiling and heading back towards the bags, eager to unwrap the rest of the boxes.

"Need any help?" Ross asked, as he watched her struggle a bit what with one hand now rendered useless.

"No. My left hand can work just fine." she said, tearing apart at the wrapping determindedly.

Yeah, she was still the same old Rachel. Adorably stubborn and fiercely independent, Ross mused as he took her leave and headed back in to complete his shower.

* * *

There's a good reason why the term 'the time flies by' came into being. Because it truly does. Especially when you don't want it to.

A week had simply 'flown by', and as Rachel had hoped, it indeed turned out to be the best week she had had in a really long time. Together, they had laughed. Sometimes so hard that they would end up with tears in their eyes. Whether it be shopping, touring museums or nurturing Emma, whatever they had done in the past seven days, they had done it together. And hence they had ended up enjoying themselves thoroughly.

"Rach!" Ross called out.

"Coming!" Rachel replied from the nursery.

"I am running late already. Can you please hurry?" he asked.

"Just a second." came Rachel's response.

Today however, their time together had come to an end. For in a few hours, Ross had to take his leave for Charente, which was the very reason why he had been able to come to Paris in the first place. Thankfully, with the quarries being within a half day's drive, Ross had been assured that he would be able to spend atleast one day out of the week with Rachel and Emma. Seeing the past seven months, he knew that this was certainly more than what they both could have asked for. He was about to call Rachel for the third time when she finally hurried into the room, carrying a spirited Emma in her arms.

"What took you so long?" Ross asked, a bit irritated at Rachel's usual lack of timeliness.

"Ems here had an 'accident' waiting for me. You try getting through that faster than me, Mister." she replied, while shooting him an ugly glare.

"You did?" Ross asked Emma in a baby voice, to which she simply let out a giggle.

"She looks cheerful." he said, looking back at Rachel.

"Of course she does. The mischief's already been done." Rachel replied, sounding grumpy.

Ross sighed in exasperation. Rachel. Hated. Changing. Diapers. It was a fact that would probably never change.

"You ready to meet your aunt and uncle sweetie?" Ross asked.

Emma nodded in excitement.

"There you go then." He said, placing the call.

To their surprise, it was picked up almost immediately.

"Hey guys!" Rachel said, to the four people on the other end.

They were barely listening though.

"Oh get out of my way! Is this even working?" Phoebe exclaimed as she tried to get right to the centre of the screen, while being pushed away by an equally stubborn Monica. Chandler and Joey were just behind them, pretty comfortable with their positions as backbenchers.

"Can you see me?" Phoebe asked, still banging heads with Monica.

"Yes Pheebs. We can see you." Rachel replied, smiling.

"Of course she can! For you are hogging the entire screen!" Monica said, unwilling to relent.

"Mon, Pheebs! Stop fighting! We can see everyone." Ross said reassuringly.

With a final glare at each other, they both gave up bashing against each other and turned their focus to the screen instead.

"So how does it feel? Being together after so long?" Monica asked, eager to know their answer.

Before either of them could reply, Chandler said,

"It surely must feel different, right? I mean it's so unlike you!"

Everyone was now looking at Chandler. Including Emma. But that probably was only because he was the one who was speaking.

"What?" he asked, alarmed by the glares he was getting.

"Can't a man speak his mind around here anymore?" he continued.

"Thank you Chandler, for pointing out the obvious. Yes, it feels different." Ross said, while the rest rolled their eyes at Chandler.

"But, it's not a 'bad' different. It's a 'good' one. In fact, it's a..." he trailed.

"It's a 'great' different." Rachel said, completing the sentence for him and took his hand in hers. Ross smiled at her gratefully.

It was a moment before Joey finally voiced the thoughts of the New Yorkers.

"Okay. So you two had sex. Why don't you just say it, huh?" he said, while pointing his fingers accusingly at the pair.

Maybe not.

"Joey! There's a two year old kid here, for God's sake!" Ross admonished, while covering Emma's ears.

"Yeah, right. A two year old kid who had been listening to an erotic song as a lullaby ever since she was two months old. Really convincing, Ross." Joey replied.

Ross was stumped. Joey did have a point.

"No Joe, we haven't." Rachel said.

That did come as a shock to the rest.

"You haven't?!" asked Phoebe, sounding positively upset.

"Yeah. We have decided to take it slow this time, you know. Get to know each other again. Rebuild our trust and confidence. Get back in the groove." Rachel replied, while Ross looked at her with a mixture of respect and confusion.

It didn't take the gang much time to figure it out.

"It's because of your injured hand, isn't it?" Monica asked, barely able to hide her smirk.

"Why can't it be two things at the same time?!" Rachel said, raising her hands up in the air in exasperation.

"That may be the case, but Rachel's right Mon. We are going to take it slow. We are determined to learn from our mistakes this time." Ross said, in defence.

There was a bit of a silence at the other end on hearing that.

"Well... that's... great news, Ross. It really is." Monica replied, while the others seemed to share the same sentiment.

"But enough about us. Tell me about you guys! I am dying to hear the results of Phoebe's ultrasound" Rachel said.

The statement had been enough to set Phoebe on a long ramble which was constantly interrupted with snippets from the rest. In the end, they understood enough to make out that Phoebe was going to give birth to a healthy baby boy sometime in August. That and Chandler's yet another idea finding it's way in the advertisement firm made it to the highlights of the almost hour long chat they had. A chat which Ross had to reluctantly end as the car dispatched to drive him to the quarries had finally arrived.

"I'll be seeing you real soon, Rach. And that's a promise I'll do everything to keep." Ross said as they kissed each other goodbye.

"Say bye to Daddy!" Rachel said to their daughter who was eyeing Ross with a look that suggested a feeling of deceit.

"Goodbye Ems" Ross said, kissing her cheek tenderly. Emma however refused to acknowledge him, looking away in the opposite direction.

Feeling rather sorry about himself, Ross cast a look at Rachel who smiled to reassure him. With a final glance at the room, he was about to take leave when he suddenly turned back and said,

"You know, it's weird."

"What is?" asked Rachel.

"It's only been a week since I left New York. But it feels like a month. Maybe even more." he said.

Rachel simply looked at him, wanting him to continue.

"I mean, I'm barely here but still I have really begun to miss New York." he said, smiling at her.

It was a smile which Rachel returned only half heartedly. And before she knew it, he was gone, heading down the stairs in a jiffy.

Yes, they had been right, she thought, staring at the door which had shut itself closed behind him.

This had been only a start.


	12. Biding time

**12\. Biding time**

"Oh, and that room right there should be the guest room.."

Sam's voice echoed throughout the vacant house as she toured Rachel through the same, deciding which room would be best suited for what purpose.

"Sam, we are nearly on the same page on everything except the walls of the living room. I would really love to have them painted a deep shade of purple." Rachel said, as she cast yet another look at the corners of the room they were currently standing in.

"Purple?! Why? What's so special about it?" Sam asked, a look of confusion clearly plastered on her face.

"For it was the colour with which I have spent the most important decade of my life. A decade which really meant a lot to me." Rachel replied, a misty look clouding her eyes.

"That's nice. Fine, we'll have them purple if it is so important to you." Sam replied, smiling benignly at her friend's sentiment.

"Thank you." Rachel replied, with a smile broader than Sam's.

Little while later, it was Sam who broke the silence yet again.

"Speaking about a special place though... How are things with Ross?" she asked, having noticed that Rachel hadn't really talked anything about him the entire evening.

"They are pretty good. In fact, I have planned to cook a Lasagne the next time he shows himself up. It's one of his favourites." Rachel replied, her response revealing only the slightest note of resentment. That had been enough of a hint for Sam though.

"Hmm. Busy this weekend as well, huh?" she asked, feeling sorry for her.

"Yup." Rachel replied, lowering her head.

The quarries at Audoin had indeed proved nothing short of a gold mine for Ross and his team. For they had successfully excavated almost an entire fossil in barely a couple of months which was no mean feat for any paleontologist out there. Especially for one who had almost zero on-field experience.

Though Rachel had been really pleased with his success, on the other hand it had also meant that Ross had been unable to keep his promise of weekly visits to Paris. For of course there was lot to do on the site right now. In the past two months Ross had managed only a couple of trips to the city. Not to mention that one of them had actually been a flyby on his way to the university to report his findings.

"Don't worry, Rach. It'll be okay. I mean, look at it this way. The sooner he gets the job done, more will be the time he gets to spend with you once it's all over. After all there are still nearly four months to go." Sam explained, whilst giving her a one armed hug.

"Yeah. I hope you are right." Rachel replied, grateful for her insight.

"And Lasagne?! You kidding me? Is Monica that good a mentor or what?" Sam asked her in a mocking voice.

Sam was indeed surprised to hear Rachel make so much progress in so less time. For she had known Rachel's culinary skills a little too well, having been her guinea pig for the first few 'experiments' she had made her taste.

Her remark finally brought a smile on Rachel's face.

"Hey! I'm not that bad a student you know." she said, to which Sam let out a chuckle.

"Besides, it's more like Monica is that determined a person. Once she sets her heart on you, she never really lets you go" she continued, her voice reflecting the deep affection she felt for her.

After all, it was a quality that did run in the family.

* * *

"Oh and how's Ben? Did he go to the football..." Ross asked over the phone, while masking his other ear so as to hear Carol's voice better over the shrill noise of the boring machines outside his tent.

"He won it for them?!" he said, exclaiming in delight after listening to the other end.

"Wow, that's incredible! Don't forget to tell him that Daddy's proud of him." he continued . Apparently Ben had actually asissted in two out of a total three goals his team had scored in the finals.

"Why don't you tell him that in person? As it is, you haven't talked to him in months!" said Carol, chastising him for his apparent lack of interest in his son.

"Carol, I..." Ross said, his voice a bit hesitant. "Things have been real busy here. And the time zones... I mean it must be what like midnight there now?" he asked, while looking at his watch which proclaimed that it was seven in the morning there right now. So It was indeed an hour past midnight in New York.

The heated voice emanating from the phone made it obvious that his ex-wife wasn't convinced at all.

"I'm sorry, Carol. I really am. I'll try to call tomorrow. I promise. Alright?" Ross finally replied.

"Alright. But you'd better not break it." she replied, after a moment's pause.

"I won't." said Ross, although he didn't sound totally sure of himself.

Ross's role at the site had proved to be quite a bit of challenge in itself. To start with, it was very different from the desk/podium job he had gotten used to over the years. This job was unpredictable. Because they had limited time, they were working 24 by 7 in shifts and hence Ross himself had had to pull off several all nighters. Plus whenever someone came across something which had even the slightlest resemblance to a bone, the entire team would be called for a dating analysis. His co-workers had mockingly nick named it as a 'Paleantological emergency'.

That didn't mean that Ross wasn't enjoying it. He was indeed having the time of his life. Yet, there were a couple of things he wished would be better. The constant drill and shudder created by the machines often drove him nuts. Why couldn't they just shut it for like an hour or so? Couldn't a man sleep around here, anymore? he thought.

But far greater than that was his guilt over drifting apart from the people close to his heart, which had now turned into a constant ache, often keeping him awake at times when he really should have been getting some sleep.

Exhausted from his shift, he was about to snuggle into his sleeping bag, when his phone began ringing again. He headed towards his makeshift desk, hoping that it was either one of his friends or family.

As it turned out though, it was someone who was both.

"Hey you!" came her voice, sounding cheerful.

"Hey you." Ross replied, reciprocating their newly reinstated signature greeting.

"So how's the diggin' going?" Rachel asked. "Find something new?"

"Well, we are still working on it. However yesterday we did make a major breakthrough." Ross replied, settling himself on the top of his sleeping bag.

"Yeah? What did you find?" she asked, excited.

"Two vertebrae." Ross replied, sounding smug.

There was a prolonged pause at the other end.

"Rach?" Ross asked, wondering whether the unpredictable network had played a prank with him again.

"Huh." came the response for the other end.

"What?" he asked, perplexed.

"You said major breakthrough, so I was thinking that it would be something big like a jaw or the skull." Rachel replied, with a flat undertone.

Ross couldn't help but roll his eyes at this. You say the word dinosaur and people had to imagine their jaws first.

"Jaws? Yes, they are significant but let's not underestimate the humble vertebrae, Rach. Especially not these two babies. They helped us predict the entire curvature of it's back. And mind you, that goes a long way when it comes to classifying these creatures." he said, explaining it to her.

"Okay. If you say so. For it really doesn't matter to me as long as you come home this weekend, mister." Rachel replied, unable to fathom his fascination for the beasts.

There was absolute silence at the other end.

"Ross? Are you there?" she asked, a bit concerned.

"I... " was all that he could muster. Today would be the third time he was about to disappoint her. In a row.

"Ross... please tell me that you will be coming." Rachel said, her voice sounding a bit stretched now.

"Rach, I..." he said, the words seemingly stuck in his throat. He didn't want to do this to her.

In fact, he didn't have to do this to her, he thought, having come to a decision.

"Yes. I will be coming." he said, with fresh determination in his voice.

"Really?!" came Rachel's response almost immediately.

"Yeah! Screw these guys! I mean, surely they can live a couple of days without me!" Ross replied, while mentally planning his argument with the committee.

"That's great! For I have a surprise for you." Rachel said, back to her cheerful self.

"You have?!" Ross asked, pleased to hear it.

"You are amazing. You do know that, right?" he continued, his voice a bit thicker than usual.

On the other end, Rachel smiled shyly before replying,

"With you around to remind me of it, how can I ever forget?"

* * *

It had taken a great deal of convincing, and a pretty heated discussion, but in the end Ross has won his case. He had been allowed to go to Paris for the day. In fact it had been the first time he had an entire day home. But that didn't mean that he was completely off the hook. There was still a great deal of documentation to be done, which was exactly what he had been up to the entire evening.

"Dinner's ready!" Rachel said, as she finished laying down the dishes on the table.

"Almost done. You get started, I'll be there." Ross replied, his eyes still engrossed in his laptop.

Since the time she had moved to Paris, Rachel had made tremendous progress as far as cooking was concerned. She had actually learned how to prepare lasagne from Monica, with her providing Rachel a live demonstration from her restaurant. Today was the first time she had prepared it unsupervised though. So it was obvious that she had been expecting something better reaction than a rather dry 'I'm almost done' from Ross.

"It's getting cold!" Rachel said, looking at him pointedly this time.

Ross, on catching her glare, decided to take a break from his work and clicked the cursor to save the article he was working on.

"I'm really sorry, Rach. I simply have to get this done by the end of the week." he said, as he made his way to the table and kissed her on the cheek.

"I promise to make up for it tonight, though." Ross continued, winking at her.

Ah... that puppy dog look. It was a trait which they both shared, yet found it extremely difficult to resist whenever they got it from the other. And just like that, Rachel's irritation at him melted almost instantaneously.

"Well... what about Emma?" she asked, blushing a deep shade of red.

"I have heard that this place has more than one bedrooms? Oh and the bathroom's pretty big too." Ross replied, as he settled down on his chair.

Rachel couldn't help but nod shyly at that.

"Now." Ross said, his tone all business like. "The moment of truth."

Saying so, he took a careful bite from the lasagne, somewhat wary from his past experiences. Rachel looked at him anxiously, waiting for his reaction with bated breath.

It seemed like she had managed to impress him though. For his expressions at the end of the bite were completely different from the ones he had started it with.

"Wow, I had never thought that such a day would come." he said, upon swallowing.

"Which day?" she asked, her fork midway between her mouth and her plate.

"A day when Rachel Greene could actually cook edible food for me." Ross replied, with a hint of mischief.

"Edible?!" Rachel exclaimed, upset. "Really?! Is that all..." she said, before she caught the glint of his eyes and realized his intentions.

For a while they both were silent, with the soft clatter of the forks being the only source of noise.

"Ross?" Rachel asked, struck by a thought.

"Mmm Hmm?" Ross replied, busy carving his lasagne.

"Then what had you imagined it to be?" she asked again.

"What are you talking about?" Ross replied, not getting her question.

"You know, all that time ago when you had it all planned out. The one where we bought a house in Scarsdale, had two kids and all..." Rachel replied, her voice trailing towards the end.

"You still remember the details?" asked Ross, surprised to hear her mention Scarsdale.

"Vividly." Rachel replied, blushing at his apparent admiration.

"Well... by then, I had imagined that we both would be earning enough to hire a cook." Ross simply said.

"And we would always head out to Mon's for the weekends. Or raid her fridge, like Joey does." he continued, his mind now reeling back to the dreams he had built all those years ago.

"That would have been fun." Rachel replied, chuckling at the thought.

"Yeah, it would have... It would have." Ross said, his eyes gaining a glazed look.

There was a slight note of sadness in his voice that wasn't missed by Rachel, who was suddenly regretting asking him that question.

"The lasagne's great, by the way." Ross said, pulling himself out of the reverie.

"Thanks." she replied, pleased with the compliment.

"No I mean seriously. At this rate you could even surpass Mon in a few months." Ross said, appearing genuinely impressed at Rachel's new found culinary abilities.

"Thank you. Don't tell that to Mon though. She will kill me." Rachel replied, her face glowing with pride.

"Of course! I mean the Pasta is good. But it's not THAT good!" Ross said, chuckling.

Rachel chuckled simultaneously in response as she kept down the fork, having finished her meal. She was about to take her plate to the sink when Ross stopped her from doing so.

"Oh wait. I'll do the dishes." he offered.

"Thanks." she replied, and gratefully headed to the bedroom. Yeah she could cook now, but it still required a lot of patience and concentration for her to get it right. Especially a rather delicate dish like Lasagne.

As Rachel prepared herself for bed, she couldn't help but get a bad feeling about the conversation they had only moments before. Although, she couldn't quite figure out the reason.

* * *

Ross cast yet another look at the photograph on his desk. It was a picture which they had somehow managed to click at Monica and Chandler's wedding reception. It was the only picture which had nearly everyone he loved. Everyone whom he called 'family'.

At the far left of the photo was him, dressed in that black suit he so often wore. Right beside him was Rachel, looking gorgeous as always in her gown. And though the bulge wasn't visible, she was already pregnant by then. So figuratively Emma was there too. In front of them were Phoebe and Joey, radiating nothing but pure joy for their friends. In the centre were of course the newlyweds, smiling so widely that their lips must have hurt.

On the other side, were his and Mon's parents, Judy and Jack Geller, who were a testimony to an everlasting relationship. To their side was Carol, who had been insisted to be included in the 'family picture' by both him and Jack Geller. Ben, occupying the spotlight of the picture, was situated between his best friend and his sister, both of whom already shared a strong bond with their young nephew. Oh and Susan was there too, right at the other end of the photo. Well, it was about time he accepted her, Ross mused, shaking his head fondly.

It had almost been four months since he had left New York. Four months. Yet the pain and longing that he felt on seeing the picture hadn't mollified even one bit. In fact, it had only increased in intensity, resembling a constant, dull ache most of the times.

On the bright side, most of his work on the field was now over. Tomorrow he would be packing his bags and heading for Paris to spend an entire weekend with... a part of his family.

For it would still be atleast an entire month before he would get to meet most of the other members, who had agreed to make an appearance to figuratively cut the ribbon at Rachel's new house. Even then though, they were going to be here for just a couple of days. And after that... they would be gone. Back to their lives in the Big Apple.

Ross wanted a family. And only now was he realising what it truly meant for him.

To add insult to injury though, he couldn't see it happening at all.

Not now and not ever.

* * *

"Hey, Mon!" said Rachel as soon as she heard the distinct click at the other end, an indication that the call had been picked up.

"You know, you might try saying my name too sometimes." came the reply at the other end. "Or did we fail to stand the test of time?"

Guessing by Chandler's light tone, it did seem like he was being his sarcastic self. Rachel, however, was not in a place to comprehend that.

"I'm so sorry, Chandler... I.. It's just that I wanted to talk to Monica and..." she said, her voice resounding emotions that were the polar opposites of Chandler's carefree banter.

"Hey, hey Rach! I was joking, alright? Joking!" Chandler replied, alarmed by the sudden turn of events.

"I know that it's really me you want to talk to. You are just afraid of Mon being jealous at us, that's all!" he said, in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere in a way only Chandler could.

A few tense seconds passed before a small chuckle was at the other end.

Relieved, Chandler continued,

"Mon's restaurant has an inspection today, Rach. She'll be there till late. You might try reaching her on the cell, but I honestly don't think she'll be receiving any calls until it gets done. I'm really sorry." he said, regretfully.

"Oh... okay." Rachel replied in a small voice.

"Can I take a message?" he offered.

"I... I don't know..." Rachel said, stumped. She had been desperately in need of talking with someone. Someone close to both her and Ross. So Sam had been ruled out immediately.

Someone close to _both_ her and Ross. Why had it taken so long for her to realise this?

"Rach? You there?" Chandler asked, worried.

"Yyeah. Listen Chandler, can I talk to you?" Rachel asked.

"I don't see why not. After all, it's what you have been doing since the last five minutes." he replied, chuckling at his own sense of humour.

 _That was why_ , she realised.

"Please." her tone now much more urgent and pleading.

Chandler sighed. He knew he was the last person anyone would resort to when it came to emotional conflicts. So he realised the amount of desperation Rachel must be in. And hence, he felt he had no choice but to be faithful to her in her time of need.

"Sure Rach. What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's Ross." she finally confided.

That much he had figured.

"You guys had a fight?" Chandler asked, wincing.

"No. Everything's great, actually." Rachel said, not sure as to how to express herself.

"Okay..." Chandler said, surprised.

 _Was that the problem?!_ he thought. But thankfully, he didn't voice it.

"It's just something he mentioned, you know. In passing." Rachel said, trying again.

Saying so, she began narrating him the conversation they had had over her firsthand attempt at Lasagne. Chandler listened patiently to her, smiling at the part where Rachel mentioned raiding their kitchen. Once she was done, he asked,

"When did this happen?"

"Over dinner a couple months ago." Rachel replied, suddenly feeling a little foolish.

"Okay... And have you talked to him after this?" he asked.

"Yeah. Lots of times. He has even come home twice after that." she replied. Just talking about the _'situation'_ was making her feel as though there wasn't any at all.

"And did he sound any different?" Chandler queried.

 _He's much better at this than he gives himself credit for_ , Rachel mused.

"No." she replied, feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Then I really don't see why you have to worry about this Rach." said Chandler, reassuringly.

"Really?" she asked, now positively beaming.

"Yeah! I mean, he surely misses having us around. But it's you about whom he cares the most, Rach." Chandler replied.

"Thank you so much, Chandler. You've been a great help." she said, back to her original chirpy self.

"Anytime, Rach." Chandler replied, feeling glad that he had managed to get through it without making things awkward.

"It's just that I am so worried you know, what with the upcoming shifting a month from now..." Rachel continued, still letting out steam.

"I mean, I don't know why but I constantly get this feeling that he doesn't want to be here. Guess it's just those butterflies, though." she said, letting out a nervous chuckle as she did so.

"Yeah, I know. Only yesterday he was telling me exactly how much he was looking forward to coming back to New York next month." Chandler said in response.

There was a definite pause on the line before Rachel exclaimed in surprise,

"He's gonna go back?!"

There. He had finally pulled out a 'Chandler'

"You know what? I think I smell smoke. Our house may have caught fire. I have to go!" he exclaimed, alarmed and knowing only too well that she was not going to buy it.

He was about to hang the phone when he heard Rachel speak

"Chandler! Wait! What exactly did he say?"

Chandler sighed. He had to make things difficult for himself, hadn't he?

"I... look. It's probably nothing, alright? I mean, he has to come to New York anyways, otherwise he might have the entire CIA after him for going AWOL after using a federal grant." he said, trying to make her understand.

"Yeah, probably." Rachel said, the burden landing heavily on her shoulders yet again.

As she kept the receiver, she couldn't help but wonder why Ross hadn't told her this first-hand. Surely he should have told her something which was this important?

The more she thought about it though, the more she realised something. Maybe it wasn't his fault at all. Maybe it was because, unknowingly she had built a pretty straightforward yet profound assumption in her subconscious.

An assumption that from now on, they were going to be together forever. Or rather, they had already reached there and had already begun their happily ever after. Which was exactly why she hadn't even bothered asking him whether he would continue living in Paris once his grant expired. For she had simply _assumed_ that he would.

Had she really been mistaken the whole time? Or was it simply her anxiety as she had only just mentioned to Chandler?

Whatever it was, she couldn't help but feel that they were simply bidding their time now.

 **A/N: I hope that this chapter didn't look hurried to you guys. Because even though it covers a span of 4 months, there really wasn't enough 'material' to last two whole chapters. So I made it into a single one. And stay tuned, 'cuz the next update will indeed make things clearer.**

 **Oh and I wish you everyone a very happy Christmas Eve and a merry Christmas! :)**


	13. Before the Housewarming

**13\. Before the housewarming**

 **A/N:-** **I have no idea what Parisians think of the month of June in general. So them disliking it is just something that I made up by browsing the temperature trends of the city.** **I** **know that most of you won't really be affected by this, but I'm putting it up just in case. :)**

June. It was a month that was detested by majority of the Parisians. For it had a notorious habit of being a harbringer of temperatures exceeding 70 degree Fahrenheit. It wasn't necessarily stuffy, but it made you sweat all the same.

Not everyone disliked the month though. In fact there were a few who were really looking forward for the month. Although their reasons for doing so were entirely unrelated to the weather. In the case of this particular couple, it was due to the cessation of a certain excavation taking place near a small town named Charente.

Ross Geller was a happy man now. For the excavation had concluded a fortnight before his grant period expired. Which also meant that he would get to spend the rest of the time with his daughter Emma and her mother Rachel, both of whom couldn't have been more excited about it. For two weeks was an amount greater than even the sum of the days they had been together since Ross first came to France back in January.

Plus, it also meant that it was about time he visited Rachel's new house, which was exactly what Ross was doing right now.

"I finally see why you are so excited about this place. It's really beautiful." he said, his eyes taking in the expanse of the living room, which was certainly more spacious than what it seemed from the outside.

"See? I had told you so!" Rachel replied, delighted to hear him say that.

"Yeah! I mean, it's not just the house. There's a school nearby, a park, quite a few supermarkets and it's what like just half an hour from your workplace?" he asked, sounding impressed.

"Twenty five minutes in regular traffic." Rachel replied, nodding assertively.

"Oh! And the Louvre's not too far either. It will take you three quarters of an hour, max." she continued, looking at him as though searching for a sign of some sort.

"That's great!" Ross said, although the excitement did not quite reach his eyes. It was something that didn't go unnoticed by Rachel.

Few moments passed by as they were lost in their own thoughts, not knowing quite what to say.

"But do you know what's the best part?" Rachel said, turning to face him again.

Ross simply looked on, waiting for her to continue.

"In just a week, this place is going to be ours, Ross! Ours! Can you believe it?" she asked, her voice revealing the joy underneath.

It took Ross quite a while to respond this time.

"Actually, it's going to be yours, Rach." he said, in a put out note.

Rachel looked at him as though she couldn't believe what he had just said.

"I.. I mean, like, finance wise. It's all yours." Ross said, trying to cover for the blunt message his words had unintentionally conveyed.

"Yeah... about that." Rachel said, looking at him skeptically.

"Can't you like... I don't know... extend your grant or something?" she asked, with a hint of desperation in her voice.

"I'm really sorry, Rach. I can't. Grants don't work like that. My research there is done. I'll be going back with the gang next Sunday. I still have a job there which I can't just quit." Ross said, trying to explain her.

"But? What then, Ross? I mean you'll have to quit your job sometime in the future, right?" Rachel asked, her voice sounding more tensed with every word she said.

"How... how long will that take? A couple months? An entire semester? And we... we'll work out the finance, you don't have to worry about that. It'll be a joint ownership. I read it somewhere, it can be done. I..." she trailed, her whole body beginning to tremble with unease.

"Hey... hey... look at me, Rach. Look at me." Ross said, taking her in his arms.

Rachel, who had turned as white as a sheet, looked up at Ross with tears in her eyes.

"We'll figure something out, okay? It's us. We've always figured it out." he said, whilst patting her back to comfort her.

As she loosened herself in his embrace though, she couldn't help but feel that Ross had already figured something out after all.

* * *

"Oh, squish inside! Will ya?" a heavily pregnant woman exclaimed to her friends who were already well 'squished' on the backseat.

"Pheebs. We have kept the shotgun seat empty just for you!" her friend offered.

"We have kept the shotgun seat empty just for you!" the woman retorted, making a crude imitation as she headed to the front and opened the door.

"What's up with her?" Rachel asked, hurt by the rude response from the other end.

"She got the middle seat in the plane even while she had specifically asked for a seat beside the aisle." Joey explained.

Then, lowering his voice to a mere whisper, he added

"So she has been pissed about it the whole time."

"She's damn right! If I were that pregnant and didn't get what I had asked for, I would be pissed too." Rachel replied, righteousness coursing through her veins.

"What are you two girls whispering about?" Phoebe exclaimed from the front seat.

"We were just discussing that how you had been wronged, Pheebs. You should have got the seat beside the aisle." Rachel said.

To her surprise Phoebe's face brightened on hearing that.

"Joey didn't tell you the whole story, did he? I did get the seat beside the aisle." she said, sounding smug.

"How?" Rachel asked, confused.

"Well... apparently the guy with a ticket right next to her had received a tip that the plane would crash midway in it's journey because it did not have enough..." Chandler said, launching into an explanation.

"Phalange?" Rachel asked, her eyebrows rising in amusement.

"No. It was..." Monica began, but then trailed as she realised that she didn't recollect.

"What was it again?" she asked, looking ahead towards the Phoebe.

After rattling her mind for sometime, Phoebe replied,

"God, even I don't remember what it was this time!" she said, laughing out heartily.

"Pheebe?! Why didn't you simply request your co passenger instead? I'm positive that any decent person would have obliged!" Ross asked, while everyone else rolled their eyes in exasperation.

Phoebe seemed to consider Ross's question for a while before she dismissed it, saying,

"Ehh... That would have been so much messier."

Everyone exchanged looks with each other, smiling at their friend's logic which, as usual, made no sense to anyone except for her.

"I've missed you Pheebs." Rachel finally replied, looking fondly towards her.

"Aww... I've missed you too, honey." Phoebe replied, touched by Rachel's words.

The weekend had finally arrived. The two days which they all had struggled to plan since the past few months. What with Joey coming all the way from LA and Phoebe dangerously close to her 3rd trimester, chances had been looking pretty slim. Not to mention the fact that Monica and Chandler had to find someone to look after their kids as well.

Thankfully though, things had somehow fallen in place. Today would be the day to settle in and have a look at the highlights of the fashion capital of the world, ending up with a home-cooked meal at Rachel's new house. And tomorrow would be the official housewarming party. The day when Rachel actually gained the ownership of the place.

"So where are we going now?" Phoebe asked, turning backwards so as to face the rest.

"I am going to work. And Ross.." Rachel began, but before she could continue any further, all hell broke lose.

"You are going to work?! Today?!" Monica exclaimed, outraged.

"Don't we matter to you anymore?" Joey said, sounding very hurt.

"What is wrong with you?!" Phoebe said, back to her grumpy self.

"Lord, please take us back home." said Chandler, joining hands in prayer.

But since all of this was spoken almost simultaneously, nothing was actually deciphered.

"Guys. Please. It's not like that." Ross said, trying to make them understand.

Now everyone turned their eyes at him, waiting for an explanation.

"Oh yeah? Then what is it? What is so important that she can't take just ONE day off to meet her friends who have literally traveled across an ocean for that very purpose?!" Monica fumed as she received assertive nods and cheers from others.

"Rach has this meeting with a guy who has also crossed an ocean for this contract. It's a multi million dollar deal and Rachel has to be there to ensure that the designs are exactly the ones she had sketched." Ross said, while Rachel looked at him gratefully.

"You make a million dollars now?" Joey asked, in awe.

"No Joe, my company does." Rachel said, smiling at his misconception.

"How much do you make then?" asked Monica.

Rachel shifted uncomfortably at the sudden attention to her income.

"Well... right now it's just below seven figures a year. But it's only probational. They have promised me the full amount from the next year on." she said, saying the amount as though it was something you came across everyday.

"And how much is that?" Monica asked, her eyebrows arched as high as they possibly could.

"A hundred thousand euros a month." Rachel said, feeling like she wanted to melt away right now.

It was Phoebe who voiced all of their thoughts this time.

"You bitch." she said, although in a way which was suggestive of envy rather than frustration.

"So it does look like Paris has made your dreams come true after all." Chandler said.

To their surprise, it took Rachel quite a while to respond to this.

"Yeah... It has." Rachel said, looking directly at Ross this time.

Everyone directed their eyes towards Ross who simply gave them all a courteous smile.

Intrigued, Monica was about to say something when the car stopped across a big glass walled structure across the street.

"Oh, that's me. Gotta go. See you at the house, everyone!" Rachel said, as she hurried out of the car and waved them all goodbye.

They barely had time to wave back before the driver set off again, owing to the honks of the cars right behind them.

"So. Where do we go now? You guys can either freshen up at the apartment or we can directly tour the city, seeing that we only have today." Ross said, completely ignoring the questioning look in everyone's eyes.

The rest exchanged glances, wondering whether they should push him for answers. In the end though, everyone concluded that it wouldn't be smart of them to waste the only day they had together since months. And hence, it was Chandler who broke the silence, saying

"I've heard that the Eiffel tower's quite a sight. Why don't we go there first?"

* * *

"So how are things back in New York?" Rachel asked, as they all drained their glass of champagne. Except for Phoebe, who was sucking at a carton of grape juice, making noises just as a five year old would.

After a quick tour to some of the prime attractions and a much needed nap at the apartment, they had finally headed to the place which was the reason why they had all travelled so far for. The cozy, three bedroom cottage located about an half an hour's drive from the apartment.

The New Yorkers developed an immediate liking to the place and couldn't help but envy Rachel for establishing such a perfect life for herself in so short a time. Moments later, the blaring of a horn announced her arrival as she brought along a huge bottle of champagne, and of course few cartons of grape juice.

After discussing the details of the surroundings as well as the interior of house, their talk finally turned to more general things. Like 'catching up' on each other's lives as they made themselves comfortable on the couches in the living room.

"Couldn't have been better. Mike and I have decided that it was about time we had a place of our own. In fact he might already be talking with a realtor as we are speaking right now." Phoebe said, in between her sips.

"Good for you, Pheebs!" Ross replied, pleased to hear it.

"That's great news! Congratulations!" Rachel said, excited.

"Yeah, I mean with everyone starting to move in to big places, we decided it was about time that we had our own." Phoebe said.

"At first it was Monica and Chandler. Then Joey went on and got his own place in LA. And now with you guys starting a family together... We felt like we were the only ones remaining!" she exclaimed, jovially. Her expressions however changed rapidly when she looked at Ross and Rachel, both of whom were not really meeting her eyes.

Well. It was now or never, Rachel realised as the unwelcome spotlight flashed right on to them.

"Yeah... about that. Ross and I... We... we still haven't..." Rachel began, unsure as to how to express herself.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room which grew into one full of anticipation as Ross met Rachel's eyes, which were pleading him to say something.

It was then that Ross knew that he had to do it. Slowly, as though in a trance, he slowly took Rachel's hands in his and said,

"You know what? Let's do this, Rach. Let's start a family together."

Rachel couldn't believe what had just happened.

 _Had he just proposed to_ _her?_

Elated, she tightened the grip on his hands and said,

"Yeah. Let's" and nodded assertively.

"Aww... Look at you guys finally being on the same page!" said Phoebe, her eyes brimming with joy for her friends. Everyone couldn't agree more as they watched the couple unite in the centre of the room.

"A fresh new start ..." Ross pronounced, as the rest listened with bated breath.

"Back in New York." he concluded, taking everyone by surprise.

The smile on Rachel's face dropped soon as it had appeared

"What?!" she exclaimed, looking both hurt and confused by his statement.

The temperature of the room might have dropped by atleast ten degrees. For no onone could believe what had passed between them just now. They had been so close to being the family that they had wanted to be. Reeling in shock, Rachel slowly untwined her fingers from his. Even then, her eyes stayed latched on to his, searching desperately for an answer.

"Oh boy." said Chandler, while looking at the pair apprehensively. He was not the only one though. Everyone in the room was tensed, expecting a heated argument to be on it's way.

But what actually happened next was something that took them all by surprise.

"We need to talk." they both said, almost simultaneously.

"Guys, can you give us some privacy?" Ross asked, turning to face them.

"Yyyeah. Sure!" Chandler replied, still surprised by the way they were handling such a major disagreement. With a calm demeanor which was so unlike the Ross and Rachel that he knew.

"I am calling the kitchen!" Joey exclaimed, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Yeah, that's right. Lesson learned." he said, reminding them all of the first time Ross and Rachel had broken up. It had indeed been a 'memorable' night, what with them reduced to consuming Monica's 'organic wax' as dinner for four.

"Oh. Then I am calling the bathroom! For I'll need it much more than any of you." Phoebe said, chiming in.

"No Pheebs, wait. We really don't want to cause inconvenience to any of you. Right, Ross?" Rachel said, turning to face Ross again.

"Yeah. Absolutely." he replied, nodding in agreement.

"What say you and I take a walk in the neighborhood? That way nobody has to go anywhere except for us." he continued.

"That's a good idea." she replied, beginning to head towards the door, followed shortly by Ross.

The rest could only look at each other, completely taken aback by the series of events.

'Since when did my brother and my best friend become so mature?' thought Monica, positive that she wasn't the only one thinking this. Her chain of thought however was broken by Ross, who had just popped in to say,

"We'll be back soon."

As the door shut behind him, one thing became absolutely clear in her mind.

Whatever decision they would come up with today would most likely remain the same for the rest of their lives.

* * *

"But Ross, I thought you said you loved it here!"

Ross and Rachel had just strolled in into a small garden about a few hundred meters away from the house. After spending a few minutes in silence, it was Rachel who began talking about the elephant in the room.

"I mean, you certainly have made a name for yourself, that much was very clear from your appraisal by the university. And also, this city is home to the museum of your dreams. I mean, there's a lot of potential for you." she said, the words coming out as though she had been holding them back for quite some time. For a part of her had already sensed that this was coming.

"And Ross, this is the city of my dreams. It... it has everything I could have ever expected from life. Everything... except you." she said, her eyes turning tearful towards the end.

Ross let out a sigh as he paused in the middle of his step, coming to standstill as he faced Rachel. Now would finally be the moment that he got to explain the conclusion which he had gradually built up over the past couple of months.

"I do love Paris, Rach. I really do. But... It's... it's like my Emily, Rach. You know what I mean?" he asked.

"No." she said, nodding her head in denial.

 _'What did Paris have to do with his ex-wife?'_ she thought, confused.

The nonplussed look on Rachel's face made Ross smile. Apparently, she hadn't understood the fact that it was a metaphor. Starting to walk again, he pointed her towards a bench and they began making their way towards it.

"When I refer to Paris as Emily, I mean that though it's something that brought a whole new experience in my life, in reality that's all there is to it." he said, trying to make her understand.

"And I shouldn't live in this city because of the same reason that I shouldn't have married Emily in the first place."

Reaching the bench, they seated themselves comfortably on it before Rachel spoke,

"And what is that reason?" she asked, intrigued by his analogy.

"The reason is very simple. For I still love my Rachel. More than I could ever love any Emily, no matter however happy she made me feel." he replied, his feelings revealing at long last why had he let slip her name at the altar.

Though touched, Rachel was now more confused than ever.

 _'I am right here. So what is he talking about?'_

His next words made it clearer, though.

"And my Rachel. ... is my family, Rach. And though you and Emma are definitely the biggest pieces of the puzzle, you are not all. There's Ben. Mon and Chandler and their kids. My Mom and Dad. Joey, Pheebs, Carol and whether I like it or not... even Susan." he said, saying her name as though there was something bitter in his mouth.

"And that is something that you realise only when you have stayed away from them for long enough." Ross said, his lips partially crooked into a smile.

Rachel allowed that to sink in, as she understood the gravity of his words. Then, slowly nodding, she said

"Well... if it does mean so much to you, then we'll do it, Ross. For us. I'll come back to New York."

Ross's eyes brightened momentarily before she continued, saying,

"I mean the city's no stranger for me. After all, it's been my home for ten long years. And I still know a few people there in the fashion industry. Getting a job won't be a problem. And... I won't have to learn a new language! So that's a relief!" she said, laughing.

Though she had chuckled, her eyes had slowly lost their lustre as she had continued her speech. And Ross hadn't missed it. In fact, he had known it all along.

"No, Rach. Coming back to New York would be like you giving up on your Rachel." Ross said, his lips spreading into a sad smile.

"What?! Will you please stop speaking in metaphors?" Rachel said, utterly perplexed now.

"What I mean is that you will be giving up on your deepest dreams and ambitions. Though New York has a lot of scope for fashion, it's not Paris, Rach. You'll never get a job as good as the one you have here. Paris... It's your Rachel, Rach." he said, in explaination.

"But you are right, Ross. Family is more important. Family is all that matters in the end. It's something that I should have realised a long time ago." she said, tears running down her cheek. It was only now that she realised what Ross had been trying to say all along. He had never really intended her to move back to New York. For his statement earlier had been nothing more than a mere ruse.

On seeing her cry, Ross took her in a one armed hug which she gratefully accepted, with her head lying comfortably on his chest.

"No Rach, listen to me very carefully. Because this is not something that I am simply making up right now. In fact, this has been something that has bothered me ever since I first fell in love with you, way back in highschool." Ross said, rubbing her shoulder as he did so.

"Has it ever occurred to you that we are two very different people? With completely different dreams and ambitions?" he said, his voice growing heavier with each word.

"So what, Ross?" Rachel replied, lifting her head to face him.

"Does that really matter? We love each other and we finally have had the sense of realising it together, at the same time. Shouldn't that be enough?" she asked, her speech interrupted with sobs.

"Yes we do love each other, Rach. Very much. But love can be expressed in ways more than one. One does not have to be with the other all the time to revel in it." Ross replied.

"But we can stay with each other all the time, Ross. And we should stay with each other. I mean, what reason do we have to not do so?" asked Rachel, unwilling to relent.

"Because, Rach, we both want different things in life. Maybe today, you do come with me to New York. Or I might come and stay with you in Paris. But we both know what will happen next. May be not tomorrow, but a month from now, or if we are really lucky then an entire year from now, we'll start bashing our heads with each other. We'll constantly fight for the smallest of the things, the silliest of the reasons. Trying to make sense of it all when we really had made sense of it a long time ago. And then, we'll only have ourselves to blame for not living to our fullest potential. Then be it you not having the best job of your life or be it me not having everyone around. It will be a very dark and frustrating life, Rach." Ross replied, with a fervour in his eyes which was rare to see. It was obvious that what he had said was true. He had indeed thought it all out.

A gentle breeze blew through the park, trying to provide whatever respite it could to the broken hearted couple seated on the bench. Needless to say, it failed miserably.

"It's all my fault. I should never have left New York." Rachel said, remorsefully.

"No Rach. It's not just your fault. It's mine too. For I was the one who let you go." Ross replied, rubbing her shoulder in comfort.

Rachel had only just opened her mouth in protest when Ross continued,

"Actually, I really don't think it's anyone's fault, Rach." he said.

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked, confused.

"You know, how I used to hate those cheap books they keep on those stalls at the airport?" Ross said, sounding out of context. Then, not waiting for an answer, he continued,

"That changed almost a year ago, when I came across this book named 'Choices and Consequences'. It made for a very interesting read, to say the least. And the prologue of the book has a quote which, for some reason, struck a chord with me. It goes like this,

 _Sometimes things don't happen the way you want them to because you just haven't tried hard enough. Unbeknownst to you, a last push may be all that you need._

 _Sometimes it's because you keep making the wrong choices, yet choose to blame the circumstances over and over again._

 _While sometimes... it is life's way of making you realise that it's simply not meant to be_." he said.

To his surprise, it was Rachel who finished the quote for him.

"Not now and not ever."

"Wow. I didn't know that you had read it too." Ross said, sounding impressed.

Rachel simply nodded, unable to say anything else.

"I don't know why, but I constantly got this feeling that the quote was about us. And for months I kept on thinking that maybe it was simply because we hadn't tried hard enough. Or had made many bad choices. But I... I don't think so, Rach. Not anymore. Maybe it's the final statement after all." he said.

"Maybe." she replied, sighing as she lay her head back on to it's comfortable position on Ross's shoulder.

The sun was slowly making it's way behind the woods far ahead of them as they simply sat there, their hands intertwined wondering what the future had in store for them, now that they had made such an important decision. Rachel turned her head to look him in the eye to voice her that very fear.

"So what do we do now?"

Letting out a deep sigh, Ross said,

"It's us, Rach. We'll figure it out."

With their gaze locked on to each other, a sad smile escaped their lips just as the sun reached the horizon, literally calling it a day.

As the twilight set in, they just knew in their hearts, that everything would be alright. For the sun always rose after a cold dark night.

 **A/N:- Well... I really don't know what you guys will make of this conclusion. But know that this was how I had planned it all along.**

 **This story was intended to bring about growth and maturity in both the characters. And to make them understand each other in a way which they never did back in canon. For had the way things ended like they did (in the show), there was a good chance that Ross and Rachel would have broken up yet again. Because the way they 'united' highlights a very basic flaw... Acting first and thinking later.**

 **The epilogue would be up in a week. And I promise that it won't be all negative at all.** **(Dear Guest reviewer, I hope you do read it. It may not be the ending you had imagined, but your wish has been respected... :)**

 **And if you have any questions/debate/disagreements, feel free to review/PM me. After all, it's fan-fiction! We are all here to express our versions of the characters who are close to our hearts.**

 **Wish you all a very happy New year's Eve and a bright 2019! :)**


	14. The happily ever after

**14\. The happily ever after**

 **A/N:- If the scene below appears vaguely familiar to you, then know that it's actually on purpose. I did want to write it exactly like it's predecessor, but decided not to at the last moment.**

 **Oh and BTW, for those of you who don't know, Banlieue means a suburb in France.**

 **Enjoy! :)**

 ** _July_** ** _2010: Five years later..._**

The rays of the morning sun crept slowly into the house, basking the room in it's soft glow. Usually, it was a sign for people to get up and about their business. Not today, though. For today was Sunday. A day on which many prefered to sleep in just because they could.

This particular 7 year old though was an exception. For she had in fact been awake long before sunrise, eagerly awaiting the brightening of the horizon. Because today was a day she didn't want to miss even a single moment of.

With a smile much brighter than her surroundings, she jumped out of the bed and stretched herself. As her eyes looked around the room, a particular object caught her attention. It was the masterpiece which she had sneakily made by staying awake till late the previous night.

And today was the time to present it to the judges.

.

"Mommy? Mommy? Mommy!" rang an all too familiar voice throughout the house.

Rachel smiled. Usually her daughter hated being woken up early, unless it was absolutely necessary. Like her, Emma wasn't a morning person either. That didn't seem to be the case today though. And Rachel knew exactly why.

"Yes, sweetheart? Momma's making pancakes for you!" she called out while mixing the batter.

"Mommy?!" came the voice from upstairs, this time more persistent.

"Momma's busy, sweetie." her mother replied yet again, a little ticked off now.

"Mommy?!" came her voice, louder than ever.

"Emma, that's enough! I told you I'm busy. If it's so urgent to you then go pester your dad and leave me alone." she admonished, as she kept the pan on the flame and added a tablespoon of butter.

"Fine!" said Emma, rolling her eyes. "Daddy?" she called out.

"In the living room, Ems!" Ross replied, his eyes scanning through the headlines of the day's Le Monde.

There was a scurrying sound as Emma hurried down the stairs whilst holding a big sheet of drawing paper in her hands.

"Look what I have drawn." she said, nudging him on the shoulder.

Intrigued, Ross folded the paper into half and kept it on the table, replacing it by his daughter's creation instead.

What he saw was certainly not what he had expected.

It was a drawing potraying him, Rachel and Emma all together as a happy family in front of a house. But that was not all. There were actually two such drawings, exactly identical and were separated by a patch of water, which from it's wavy outlines seemed to reflect the ocean. The only difference was that the picture to the left had the words 'My family' written below it, while the one on the right proclaimed 'Ma famille' which was nothing but the same in French.

"Wow!" Ross exclaimed, turning to face his daughter, who was now smiling shyly.

"This is amazing! You drew this all on your own?!" He asked, still not quite believing her.

"Yup." Emma replied, blushing furiously.

"You like it?" she added, sounding a bit apprehensive.

"Like it? I love it!" he replied, smiling widely at his daughter and taking her into a hug.

"Rach! Did you have a look at this?" Ross called out from his chair.

"At what?" Rachel asked, still busy.

"Let's show this to your mother." Ross said to his daughter as he gently withdrew from the hug and headed towards the kitchen.

"I tried." Emma replied, rolling her eyes but tagging along all the same.

"Look at this painting Emma's drawn." Ross said, the sweet waft of maple syrup greeting him as he entered the room.

Frowning, Rachel wiped her hands on her apron and took the sheet in her hand, scrutinizing her child's handiwork.

"It's gorgeous!" she exclaimed, her voice reflecting the surprise and joy which she felt.

"That's so sweet Ems." she continued and kissed her daughter on the cheek.

"Thanks, Mom." Emma replied, pleased with their reaction.

"Know what, Ems? Why don't you take it along to New York? Aunt Phoebe would certainly want to see her pupil's best work." Ross said, as Rachel handed the sheet back to her child.

"That's a great idea, Dad!" she replied, and raced from the kitchen to pack it in her bag.

Summer vacation always meant New York for Emma. And it was a time which she enjoyed wholeheartedly. Not that she didn't like Paris and it's ever growing number of Banlieues. No, she loved the quaint old city. It was just that New York was more of a 'family place.'

Visiting her aunt, uncle and cousins, her half brother Ben, her grandparents and of course their lovely second home in Scarsdale which was occupied only during the holidays. Like her father, she was a family person. But at the same time, she had grown up to be fiercely independent, just like her mother.

Ross visited them frequently. Or atleast as frequently as his job of the head of department could offer and Rachel too did the same whenever she could. For her business deals often brought her to the Big Apple. And she never denied an opportunity to meet the gang. Then be it at Monica and Chandler's in Westchester or at Phoebe and Mike's in Larchmont, or her business suite or sometimes even Central Perk. Joey managed to make through a few times, although given his tight production schedule in LA, it was few and far in between.

On that fateful evening a little more than five years ago, they had promised each other that no matter what, they would celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah and Thanksgiving together. And so far, the promise still lay unbroken which, considering their past, was quite a record in itself.

"Kids. They never fail to surprise you." Rachel said, her voice reflecting much more emotion then what she actually wanted to express.

"Yeah, that's true." Ross replied, with a sad smile on his face. The painting indeed depicted a depth which he hadn't expected to see in a seven year old.

"This was not how I imagined it to be, Ross." she said, in reference to their lives being parted across a vast expanse of the Atlantic.

"I mean... this is not a happily ever after. It's so not." Rachel said, nodding her head in denial.

If one were to look at the situation superficially, they would certainly disagree with her. For in the past five years, Rachel Karen Green's designs had indeed become quite a standard in itself. Not to mention the fact that many of them had been flaunted in the last few Paris fashion weeks. She now had a larger house, a new car and a handful of maids. In short, she had more than made up for the lavish lifestyle she had left behind nearly sixteen years ago.

Yet the thought of not having (as Ross liked to call it) the 'last piece of puzzle' was something that continued to haunt her. And it was moments like these which brought it on the surface.

Smiling empathetically, Ross took her into an embrace as he said,

"Rach, you saw the words underneath the painting, right?"

"Yeah." she said, exhaling heavily as she buried her head on his chest.

"Know what that means?" Ross asked. Then, without waiting for an answer, he said,

"It means that she has accepted her family as it is, Rach. It doesn't matter to her. The where, the why. No matter wherever we are, or how much time we spend together, we are still... A family."

Parting their embrace, he looked directly in her eyes as he said.

"You are right, Rach. In no ways was is our situation ideal. In no ways is this an ideal happily ever after. But since when have we ever been ideal?" he asked, and was relieved to find Rachel smirk slightly in response.

Voices were now being heard back in the living room, and they knew that their time alone was up.

"It's our happily ever after, Rach." he said, as she slowly nodded and smiled.

"And that's all that really matters." was all that Ross managed to get through, before a small boy rushed into the living room, being chased by an older girl with what seemed like a spider made out of plastic.

"Emma!" Rachel exclaimed, exasperated by her daughter's pranks.

"What?" asked Emma, unabashed. "You told me to wake him up at 8! And he wouldn't wake!" she said, still flinging the spider at the poor lad, who had now virtually disappeared in the crook of Rachel's knees.

"Okay. I am only going to say this once. Stop scaring Jean, otherwise you aren't coming to New York with us." Rachel admonished, to which Emma finally relented and pocketed the spider in her shirt, muttering inaudibly as she did so.

Until about three years ago, Emma had always complained about the lack of a sibling. True, there was Ben, who pulled her leg and rubbed her corners as any older brother would. But there had been no one on whom she could pull out the tricks that she had learned a little too well. Until Jean came along, that is.

Rachel was about to say something when the sound of the doorbell rang throughout the house.

"Mommy!" Jean screamed and dashed out of the kitchen as fast as his tiny legs could carry him.

"Aunt Sam!" Emma said, following suit.

"Thank Goodness!" Ross said, looking at the watch. Sam, who was returning with her husband from a 'romantic getaway', had called in to inform that their flight had been delayed. Ross and Rachel, who had been given the duty of babysitting Jean for the duration of the trip, had grown worried as their own flight was scheduled to depart in a matter of hours from then.

"I'll go get them." Ross said, his eyes back at Rachel.

"Alright. I'll set the table then." she replied, smiling.

As Rachel arranged the cutlery amidst the ruckus that greeted Sam and Paul in the living room, she couldn't help but feel that Ross was right.

Theirs wasn't an ideal happily ever after.

But it was still _their_ happily ever after.

 **A/N:- Ta dah! Finally! After more than a year and a half I have finally presented the epilogue of this story. A big vote of thanks to everyone who put up with me for so long, reviewers and readers alike. I would especially like to thank babatomyfriends who has not only been a faithful reader, but also my mentor whenever I asked her to be one. And also FriendsEnthusiast, FictionWriter91, Findizzle and many more for their valuable reviews.**

 **I have had a great time here. But it seems that I have 'moved on' from FRIENDS fandom... in a way. Don't get me wrong here. I still love the show but I really don't think you guys can expect any more stories from me anymore. However, I will still do my best to complete the rest of my stories before I bid adieu forever. And that's a promise.**

 **Wish you guys all the very best for whatever future life holds for you!**

 **Yours truly,**

 **Soumi97**

 **(BTW, you can always find me at my blog site. It's soumitra97 dot wordpress dot com.**


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